2014 in science

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A number of significant scientific events have occurred or are scheduled to occur in 2014. The United Nations has declared 2014 the International Year of Family Farming and Crystallography.

Events, discoveries and inventions

January

1 January 2014: New computer models show that climate change is more sensitive to the effects of cloud formation than previously thought.

• 1 January – A study published in Nature shows that the role of cloud formation in climate change has been underestimated. As a result, global temperatures could increase by 4 °C by 2100 and possibly 8 °C by 2200.
• 2 January
  • Researchers have shown in precise detail how a molecular defect is responsible for myotonic dystrophy type 2, then designed a potential drug candidate to reverse the disease.
  • The asteroid 2014 AA impacts the Earth a few hours after it was first sighted. This was the second time an asteroid was observed before it impacted with Earth (the first being 2008 TC3).
• 6 January – A new way to destroy metastasizing cancer cells traveling through the bloodstream has been discovered by researchers at Cornell University.
• 7 January – NASA releases the deepest image ever taken of a galaxy cluster not long after the Big Bang. The image includes Abell 2744, a galaxy cluster in the Sculptor constellation, and was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.
• 8 January
  • Using the Sloan Digital Telescope, astronomers have measured the distance to galaxies six billion light-years away – about halfway back to the Big Bang – to an accuracy of just 1 percent. This could aid in the understanding of dark energy, which is thought to be driving the expansion of the universe.
  • A detailed survey of lion populations has revealed that in West Africa, their numbers have collapsed with less than 250 adults remaining.
• 13 January
  • New analysis of a Tiktaalik roseae fossil, dating back 375 million years, has revealed a key link in the evolution of hind limbs that challenges existing theories on how they first developed.
  • Chemists have engineered a plastic artificial cell containing organelles capable of producing the various steps in a chemical reaction.
• 14 January
  • A giant trench deeper than the Grand Canyon has been discovered under Antarctic ice.
  • Illumina, Inc. has demonstrated the first $1,000 genome.
• 16 January
  • A new gene therapy technique has restored the sight of six patients who would otherwise have gone blind.
  • Google reports the development of a contact lens glucose monitor.
  • China's Yutu rover completes its first examination of the lunar soil.

"Mystery" rock? found by the Opportunity rover on the planet Mars – comparison of images: Sol 3528 and Sol 3540 (23 January 2014)(b/w) (solution).

• 17 January – NASA reports that a Mars rock, named "Pinnacle Island", that was not in an Opportunity rover image taken on Sol 3528, "mysteriously" appeared 13 days later in a similar image taken on Sol 3540. – UPDATE (14 February 2014): "Mystery" seems to have been solved – the location where the rock was dislodged by the rover has been found. (image)
• 20 January – The ESA's Rosetta spacecraft "wakes up" from hibernation mode to monitor comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko for the next 16 months as the comet travels into, and then out of, the inner solar system. The spacecraft is expected to deploy the Philae lander on the comet's surface in November 2014.
• 21 January
  • Globally, 2013 was tied with 2003 as the fourth warmest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
  • One quarter of the world's cartilaginous fish, namely sharks and rays, face extinction within the next few decades, according to latest research.
  • A new device created by the University of California enables real-time measurements of drug metabolism and concentration in the bloodstream, potentially improving the way doses are administered.
  • Extreme air pollution in Asia and China in particular is having a clear impact on weather and climate patterns, according to a study of aerosols and meteorology over the past 30 years.
• 22 January
  • ESA scientists report the detection, for the first definitive time, of water vapor on the dwarf planet, Ceres, largest object in the asteroid belt. The detection was made by using the far-infrared abilities of the Herschel Space Observatory. The finding is unexpected because comets, not asteroids, are typically considered to "sprout jets and plumes". According to one of the scientists, "The lines are becoming more and more blurred between comets and asteroids."
  • Researchers have determined that the earliest memories prior to the age of three will tend to disappear when a child reaches the age of seven, a phenomenon known as "childhood amnesia."
  • The leech Ozobranchus jantseanus has been shown to survive for 24 hours at −321 °F (−196 °C) and for nine months at −130 °F (−90 °C), a finding that could yield insights into cryopreservation for humans.
• 23 January – A new microscopy technique can eliminate distortion from nano-scale images.
• 24 January – NASA reports that current studies on the planet Mars by the Curiosity and Opportunity rovers will now be searching for evidence of ancient life, including a biosphere based on autotrophic, chemotrophic and/or chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms, as well as ancient water, including fluvio-lacustrine environments (plains related to ancient rivers or lakes) that may have been habitable. The search for evidence of habitability, taphonomy (related to fossils), and organic carbon on the planet Mars is now a primary NASA objective.
• 26 January – New research indicates that most of the Grand Canyon is much younger than previously thought, having formed as recently as 5 or 6 million years ago, compared to 70 million years as previously estimated.
• 27 January – Genetic analysis of a European male from 7,000 years ago has revealed he had dark skin, dark hair and blue eyes – suggesting that lighter skin colour evolved much later than was previously assumed.
• 28 January – A new study shows that living near a fracking site may increase the risk of some birth defects by as much as 30 percent. As many as 15 million Americans may live within one mile of a drilling well.
• 29 January
  • The axolotl may have gone extinct in the wild. None were found in a recent survey of its only remaining natural habitat, Lake Xochimilco.
  • Japanese researchers have developed a way of turning adult mice cells into stem cells by dipping them in acid. This could pave the way for routine use of stem cells in regenerative medicine with a technique that is cheaper, faster and more efficient than before.
• 31 January
  • A new way of electrochemically converting CO2 – a greenhouse gas – into carbon monoxide has been developed at the University of Delaware.
  • The world's first monkeys with genes modified by CRISPR/Cas9, a new form of DNA engineering, have been created in a Chinese laboratory.
  • Despite warnings from scientists about the ecological impact, Australia's government has approved plans to dump three million cubic metres of sediment near the Great Barrier Reef, as part of the world's largest coal port.

February

First image by the Curiosity rover of the Earth and the Moon in the night sky of Mars (31 January 2014).

• 3 February
  • By the 2080s, most former Winter Olympics venues will no longer be suitable for hosting the games due to lack of snow, according to a new study.
  • As larger mammals become extinct, rats could dominate many ecological niches and evolve to huge sizes in the future, according to an academic from the University of Leicester.
  • The first single-molecule LED has been created.
• 4 February – American science educator and engineer Bill Nye (presenter of Bill Nye the Science Guy) defends evolution in the classroom in a debate with creationist Ken Ham on the topic of whether creation is a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era.
• 5 February – A Dutch man has been fitted with a prosthetic hand capable of delivering a sense of touch.
• 6 February
  • NASA releases the first image by the Curiosity rover of the Earth and the Moon in the night sky of Mars.
  • NASA reports that the Mars Curiosity rover, in order to reduce wear on its wheels by avoiding rougher terrain, has successfully crossed (image) the "Dingo Gap" sand dune and is now expected to travel a smoother route to Mount Sharp.
• 7 February – Archaeologists report that human footprints, possibly from Homo antecessor, that may be as much as 1 million years old, were found at Happisburgh in eastern England, in May 2013.
• 7 February – New species of wild pepper, Piper kelleyi, is described in PhytoKeys.
• 9 February – The discovery of one of the oldest known stars in the Universe, SMSS J031300.36-670839.3, is announced.
• 10 February
  • New and more precise dating techniques indicate that the End Permian extinction event happened over the course of 60,000 years, about 10 times faster than previously thought.
  • Nanomotors have been controlled inside living cells for the first time.
• 11 February – Scientists at Kings College London have identified a gene linking brain structure to intelligence.
• 12 February
  • The discovery of four new galactic clusters is announced in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
  • The first global geologic map of Ganymede, the largest moon in the Solar System, has been produced.
  • A newly discovered ichthyosaur fossil has revealed the earliest live reptile birth, dating back 248 million years. It suggests that live-bearing evolved on land and not in the sea.
• 14 February – New evidence, revealed in a study of 400 gay men, has strengthened the idea that male sexual orientation is influenced by genes.
• 16 February – American science educator and engineer Bill Nye (presenter of Bill Nye the Science Guy) debates global warming with congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).
• 17 February
  • Genetically modified potatoes capable of resisting blight have been developed by British scientists.
  • An abrupt stop to geoengineering with sulfate particle injections will make global warming even worse, according to researchers.
• 18 February – Astronomers report that asteroid 2000 EM26, a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) and Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA), 270 m (890 ft) in diameter, safely passed by the Earth at a distance about 8.8 times further from Earth than the Moon. The event was broadcast live (YouTube archive) at 09:00pm EST (02:00 UTC, 18 February 2014) by the Slooh community observatory. (image of Earth-Asteroid orbits).
• 19 February
  • Melting sea ice in the Arctic and the resulting exposure of dark water is reducing Earth's albedo more than previously forecast, according to NASA.
  • The European Space Agency (ESA) has selected the PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) observatory as the third medium-sized (M) mission in its Cosmic Vision programme. This will begin operation in 2024, looking for truly Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars, in sufficient detail to examine their atmospheres for signs of life.
• 20 February – The biggest ever stem cell trial involving heart attack patients has commenced in London. It will examine 3,000 patients in 11 European countries, determining whether death rates can be reduced and damaged tissues repaired after a heart attack.
• 21 February – NASA announces a greatly upgraded database for tracking polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the universe. According to scientists, more than 20% of the carbon in the universe may be associated with PAHs, possible starting materials for the formation of life. PAHs seem to have been formed shortly after the Big Bang, are abundant in the universe, and are associated with new stars and exoplanets.
• 22 February – ISMCBBPR through their President, Isidro T. Savillo, announces the Molecule of the Year 2012 as Desmosterol.
• 24 February
  • Following a long delay due to technical issues, the first 128GB microSD card has been announced, based on 16 memory dies vertically stacked, each shaved to be thinner than a strand of hair.
  • A tiny fragment of zircon dating back 4.4 billion years has been confirmed as the oldest known piece of Earth's crust. It provides evidence that a solid crust formed much earlier in the planet's history than was previously thought.
• 26 February
  • A team of researchers announce the creation of a dropleton, the first known quasiparticle that behaves like a liquid.
  • NASA has announced the discovery of 715 exoplanets by its Kepler mission, increasing the total number of confirmed planets outside our Solar System to nearly 1,700.
  • Ross Sea ice cover during the summer will decrease 56% by 2050 and 78% by 2100, according to a new computer model.

Disintegration of asteroid P/2013 R3 observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (6 March 2014).

• 27 February
  • Despite claims of a recent hiatus in global warming, the number of local temperature extremes has "dramatically and unequivocally increased in number and area", according to researchers at the University of New South Wales. This has also occurred despite the complete absence of a strong El Niño since 1998.
  • NASA scientists report that Yamato 000593, the second largest meteorite from Mars found on Earth, contains microscopic spheres rich in carbon that may have been formed from biotic activity.

March

• 3 March – Scientists announce the discovery of pithovirus, the largest giant virus yet known, revived from a 30,000-year-old sample of frozen tundra.
• 4 March – A new study concludes that nearly one-fifth of the 720 UNESCO World Heritage Sites will be affected by rising sea levels this century if global temperatures rise by 3 °C.
• 5 March – NASA scientists report that asteroid 2014 DX110, a near-Earth asteroid roughly 20–40 m (66–131 ft) in diameter, passed less than 1 lunar distance from Earth.
• 6 March
  • NASA reports disintegration of asteroid P/2013 R3 observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (images).
  • The discovery of a new living coral reef with an area of 28 km² in the territorial waters of Iraq is announced in Scientific Reports.
• 7 March – NASA reports that the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), after an exhaustive survey, has not been able to uncover any evidence of "Planet X", a hypothesized planet within the Solar System.
• 9 March – Researchers from the University of East Anglia discover four new ozone-depleting gases (3 CFCs and one HCFC). Two of the gases are still accumulating in the atmosphere, but their origins remain unknown.
• 10 March - Stanford bioengineer develops a 50-cent paper microscope capable of a magnification of up to 2000 times.
• 12 March
  • The Very Large Telescope discovers the largest known yellow star, HR 5171A, which is 1,300 times the diameter of our Sun. It has a companion star that orbits so close, the two stars are almost merged.
  • The discovery of a ringwoodite sample provides strong evidence of water in huge volumes in the Earth's mantle at 400 to 700 km (250 to 430 mi) below the surface.

Evidence of gravitational waves in the infant universe may have been uncovered by the microscopic examination of the focal plane of the BICEP2 radio telescope.

• 13 March – Researchers in Siberia state that they have access to good quality DNA that offers a "high chance" of cloning the woolly mammoth.
• 17 March
  • By demonstrating rippling patterns (the possible effect of gravitational waves) in the cosmic microwave background, astronomers may have uncovered a major piece of evidence to support inflation and the Big Bang theory of the universe.
  • A large, previously stable part of Greenland has been found to be melting rapidly, suggesting that future sea level estimates will have to be revised upwards.
  • Specimens of the moss Chorisodontium aciphyllum are revived after 1500 years frozen.
• 19 March – A new record efficiency of 17 percent for thin-film solar is achieved.
• 20 March – A new method to obtain human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a single drop of finger-pricked blood is achieved.
• 23 March – Scientists demonstrate the distribution of three entangled photons at three different locations, several hundreds of metres apart. This could pave the way to multi-party quantum communication.
• 24 March
  • Researchers create a biodegradeable battery that could be used for medical implants inside the body.
  • Rates of blindness and partial sight have plummeted in the developed world over the last 20 years, according to new research.
• 25 March – Paleontologists assemble giant turtle bone from fossil discoveries made 160 years apart. Atlantochelys mortoni, found in Cretaceous sediments dating back 75 million years, was possibly the largest turtle that ever lived.
• 26 March
  • Astronomers report the discovery of a new minor planet, named 2012 VP113, beyond the planet Neptune in the solar system.
  • Astronomers report the discovery of the first ring system around an asteroid (10199 Chariklo).
• 27 March
  • The first synthetic chromosome is created for integration into a yeast cell.
  • A study finds that Cuvier's beaked whale is capable of diving to a depth of 3.2 km and staying under water for 137 minutes, both records for a mammal.

Evidence of an underground ocean of liquid water on Enceladus, moon of planet Saturn, reported (3 April 2014; artist image).

• 30 March – The first evidence that CRISPR can reverse disease symptoms in living animals has been demonstrated. Using this new gene-editing technique, MIT researchers cured mice of a rare liver disorder.
• 31 March
  • The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) releases its second of four planned reports examining the state of climate science. This latest document summarizes what the scientific literature says about "Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability".
  • In the landmark case of Australia v. Japan, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has ruled that Japan's JARPA II whaling program in the Antarctic is not for scientific purposes and has ordered all permits to be revoked.

April

• 1 April
  • Eating seven or more portions (560 g) of fruit and vegetables a day reduces your risk of death at any point in time by 42 percent compared to eating less than one portion, reports a new study by University College London.
  • RIKEN concludes that a recent study claiming to having produced stem cells via STAP techniques was partially falsified.
• 3 April – NASA reports that evidence for a large underground ocean of liquid water on Enceladus, moon of planet Saturn, has been found by the Cassini. According to the scientists, evidence of an underground ocean suggests that Enceladus is one of the most likely places in the solar system to "host microbial life". (artist image)
• 4 April – By manipulating the appropriate signaling, researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into a fish embryo, essentially controlling embryonic development. This breakthrough is a major step toward being able to grow whole organs from stem cells.
• 6 April – Samsung has developed a new method of growing large area, single crystal wafer scale graphene, a major development that will accelerate the commercialization of this material.
• 7 April
  • A critical bug (named "Heartbleed") in OpenSSL is estimated to have left 17% of the Internet's secure web servers vulnerable to data theft.
  • Researchers show the first evidence that green tea extract enhances cognitive functions, especially the working memory, suggesting a possible treatment for impairments such as dementia.
• 8 April – A battery that can charge in under 30 seconds is demonstrated at a technology conference in Tel Aviv.
• 9 April – Scientists reconstruct a gigantic asteroid impact that occurred 3.26 billion years ago near the Barberton Greenstone Belt. The impactor was up to 58 km (36 miles) wide, leaving a hole almost 480 km (300 miles) across – two and a half times larger in diameter than the Chicxulub crater which killed off the dinosaurs.
• 10 April
  • NASA scientists report the possible discovery of the first exomoon candidate. (artist image)
  • NASA astronomers report that the Hubble Space Telescope can now precisely measure distances up to 10,000 light-years away by using spatial scanning, a ten-fold improvement over earlier measurements. (related image)

Discovery of Kepler-186f - an Earth-sized exoplanet in the habitable zone of its host star (artist concept; 17 April 2014).

• 11 April – A new statistical analysis of temperature data since the year 1500 concludes "with confidence levels greater than 99%, and most likely greater than 99.9%" that recent global warming is not caused by natural factors and is man-made.
• 14 April – NASA scientists report the possible beginning of a new moon, within the A Ring, of the planet Saturn. (related image)
• 15 April – A total lunar eclipse occurs, visible across the Pacific Ocean and the Americas.
• 16 April – The discovery of a protein, dubbed Juno, that is essential to mammalian fertilization is announced in Nature.
• 17 April
  • NASA announces the discovery of Kepler-186f, the first Earth-sized exoplanet within the habitable zone of its host star. (artist concept and comparison)
  • Advanced Cell Technology announces that it created new human embryonic stem cells by fusing DNA from an adult with an enucleated egg cell, a form of human cloning.
  • Researchers at Cardiff University achieve a major breakthrough in treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common form of leukaemia.
• 18 April – NASA announces that the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft successfully completed its mission with a planned impact on the moon at about 12:30am/et/usa.
• 19 April – A particularly bright meteor, presumably from Lyrids, flashes over several Russian cities, including Murmansk, and is recorded by dash cams. The meteor burned away above the Earth around 02:10 a.m. local time.
• 22 April – Asteroid impacts are more common than previously thought, according to a presentation by the B612 Foundation, which shows evidence that 26 multi-kiloton collisions have occurred since 2001.
• 23 April – The Federal Communications Commission announces that it will consider a new rule that will allow Internet service providers to offer content providers a faster track to send content, thus reversing their earlier net neutrality position. A possible solution to net neutrality concerns may be municipal broadband, according to Dr. Susan Crawford, a legal and technology expert at Harvard Law School.
• 24 April
  • Kryptodrakon is classified as the oldest pterodactyloid pterosaur discovered to date.
  • Nautilus Minerals has finalised an agreement with Papua New Guinea over the first deep sea mining operations. A project known as Solwara 1 aims to extract ores of copper, gold and other valuable metals from depths of 1,500m.
• 25 April – The sequencing of the tsetse fly genome, which causes the deadly sleeping sickness in Africa, is completed after a 10-year multimillion-dollar effort.

Predicted and scheduled events

April

• 29 April – An annular solar eclipse will occur.

June

• A Spanish team will launch a robotic lunar rover aboard a Chinese rocket, in an attempt to win the US$30 million Google Lunar X Prize.

Comet Siding Spring to pass near Mars on 19 October 2014 (Hubble; 11 March 2014).

September

• NASA will conduct the first unmanned test flight of its Orion manned spacecraft.

October

• 8 October – A total lunar eclipse will occur.
• 19 October – NASA estimates comet C/2013 A1 will pass extremely close to, but will not impact, the planet Mars.
• 23 October – A partial solar eclipse will occur.

Date unknown

• China will have the world's largest number of active robots by 2014, based on its rapid uptake of industrial robots in recent years.
• The asteroid mining company Planetary Resources intends to launch its first technology testbed satellites in 2014.
• The first commercially licensed, grid-connected wave-energy device in the US, designed by Ocean Power Technologies, will be launched in Reedsport, Oregon.
• Puli Space Technologies plans to launch a lunar mission in 2014.
• The first offshore wind farms in the US begin construction.

See also

• 2014 in spaceflight
• List of emerging technologies
• List of years in science

External links

• Science obituaries in The Guardian
• Science obituaries in The Daily Telegraph
• Science obituaries at Legacy.com