2015 Event Scientists discover a cache of skeletons of a new species of human ancestor, named Homo naledi, in a South African cave; the hominids are thought to have possibly lived up to three million years ago 2015 Event Scientists using geophysical methods to map underground archaeological sites have discovered a set of stone monoliths buried 3 feet deep near Stonehenge; the stones are estimated to be 4,500 years old 2015 Event Scientists announce discovery of a planet in the Kepler-452 solar system that closely resembles Earth in size and orbit; the planet, Kepler 452-b, has a diameter 60% larger than Earth's but an orbit that is 385 days, close to Earth's 365 days 2015 Event Philae, the comet lander that was deposited on Comet 67P last year, has awoken after several months in hibernation due to low power; scientists hope that the lander's power will last long enough for them to download data 2015 Event Scientists discover a huge magma reservoir under Yellowstone National Park that feeds the magma chamber heating the park's geothermal features; though no volcanic eruption is likely for thousands of years, such an event would dwarf all others to date 2015 Event Scientists have concluded that a large ocean exists beneath the icy surface of Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter; the discovery was made by using the Hubble Space Telescope to observe aurora movements at the moon's poles 2015 Event Scientists uncover a 2.8-million-year-old jawbone of a primitive human; the find suggests that humans may have evolved from hominins, or humanlike primates, about 400,000 years earlier than previously thought 2015 Event Scientists report that climate change may be influenced by the carbon dioxide released by undersea volcanoes, which have been assumed until now to have a negligible effect; further studies are needed to assess the degree of impact 2014 Event James Watson, one of three scientists to co-discover DNA structure, has auctioned off the 1962 Nobel Prize medal he received for the achievement; Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov paid $4.8 million for the medal but then returned it to Watson 2014 Event The European Space Agency makes history by landing a probe named Philae on the surface of a comet; scientists report that the probe anchors did not fire and that the vessel appears to have made two landings 2014 Event Scientists Stefan Hell of Germany and Eric Betzig and William Moerner of the U.S. share the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing 'super-resolved fluorescence microscopy'; the technology can be used to observe molecular activity in living cells 2014 Event Scientists announce the successful creation of stem cells from adult human cells; previous stem cell lines have been derived from fetuses and infants 2014 Event An earthquake measuring 8.2 on the Richter scale strikes 58 miles northwest of Iquique, Chile; though larger than the 6.7 quake on March 16th, scientists expect an even stronger quake in this region in the future 2014 Event Scientists using the BICEP2 telescope identify evidence for cosmic inflation; if confirmed, this evidence will provide support for the Big Bang Theory of the origin of the universe 2014 Event Scientists from Australian National University observe the oldest star in the universe for the first time. The star, located 6,000 light years from Earth, serves as a fingerprint of the first stars in the universe; it is believed to be 13.7 billion years old 2013 Event After years of receding, scientists report that the Arctic sea ice has rebounded in extent and volume 2013 Event Australian scientists discover three new species of marsupial in Queensland: the Tweed Volcano Antechinus, the Buff-footed Antechinus and the Kroombit Antechinus 2013 Event Scientists in the Australian state of Queensland discover three previously unknown species in a rainforest located in Cape York Peninsula: a leaf-tailed gecko, a golden-colored skink, and a boulder-dwelling frog 2013 Event Winners of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine include German scientist Thomas C. Sudhof and American scientists Randy Schekman and James Rothman 2013 Event Austrian researchers successfully grew 'cerebral organoids' or mini-brains, containing several distinct regions of the brain; the mini-brains will help scientists understand how brains develop, and what causes schizophrenia and autism 2013 Event Scientists in Britain identify the mechanism causing human allergy to cats; they believe a general cure for the condition could be available in the next five years 2013 Event In Brazil, scientists discover a new species of lizard, about the size a coin and weighing less than a gram 2013 Event Scientists reveal new studies suggesting the turtles evolved in a shell 40 million years prior than what was previously thought 2013 Event Scientists describe the 160-million year-old fossile of Aurornis xui as the most basal species of Avialae, possibly shifting the evolutionary position of the Archaeopteryx as the oldest known bird 2013 Event Scientists in Canada bring 400 year-old bryophyte specimens left behind by retreating glaciers during the Ice Age back to life 2013 Event Northwest Africa 7325, a green meteorite found in Morocco, 2012, may have originated on planet Mercury; if scientists are correct, this will be the first known meteorite from Mercury 2013 Event Scientists discover that a large amount of bacterial life forms live in the deepest part of the world's oceans, the Mariana Trench, which is about 6.831 miles 2013 Event Lazarus Project scientists reveal that they successfully recovered frozen tissue from the 1970's and rejuvenated the cells of Rheobatrachus silus, a species of frog that has been extinct since 1983 2013 Event After measuring its spin and parity, scientists at the Large Hadron Collider firmly believe the particle discovered in July 2012 is a Higgs boson 2013 Event NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) spacecraft transmits images that for the very first time, allow scientists to create a 3D reconstruction of ancient water channels below the surface of Mars 2013 Event Scientists in Illinois, announce they've developed stretchable batteries that can power a new generation of flexible electronics 2013 Event Scientists in Spain publish a study in the 'New England Journal of Medicine' that claims a Mediterranean diets, high in olive oil, nuts, fish and fresh fruits, reduce the risk of heart disease 2013 Event Scientists discover that bumblebees have the ability to sense electric fields around flowers, enabling them to identify specific flowers for pollination 2013 Event Scientists say Pandemrix, GlaxoSmithKline influenza vaccine, may be the cause of Europe's recent increase in cases of narcolepsy 2013 Event European Bioinformatics Institute scientists have successfully stored audio and text on fragments of DNA, and retrieved them with 99.99% accuracy - the first time in history DNA has been used for data storage 2013 Event NASA scientists achieve a first in laser communication when they successfully beam a picture of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a spacecraft orbiting the Moon 2013 Event U.S. scientists claim 2012 weather as the hottest year ever recorded 2012 Event Scientists studying the Sutter's Mill meteorite, found near where the Sutter's Mill California Gold Rush site, determine it contains the oldest material in the Solar System 2012 Event Scientists discover the closest known rogue planet to Earth, known as CFBDSIR 2149-0403, the planet is about 100+ light years away 2012 Event Medical textbooks require rewriting after 39-year-old Canadian Scott Routley becomes the first person believed to be in a vegetative state to tell scientists he isn't in any pain 2012 Event Four genetically different types of breast cancer are identified by researchers; the study, part of the Cancer Genome Atlas, will help scientists understand how to cure breast cancer in the future 2012 Event Scientists create a 'magic carpet' using optical fibers to help prevent elderly people from falling by detecting when unusual footsteps are taken 2012 Event Scientists reveal new research identifying a mechanism by which Earth-warming carbon is pulled deep into the Southern Ocean, and locked away; scientists claim this process may be threatened by global warming 2012 Event Ending an extensive study on the wooly mammoth, scientists conclude that they were wiped out by multiple things, including climate change, human hunters, and shifting habitats 2012 Event Scientists successfully sequence the tomato genome, and announce that tastier, more pesticide-resistant tomato varieties can be engineered for use in the next five years 2012 Event U.S. scientists develop a device that can generate electricity from genetically-engineered viruses; these piezoelectric materials are a step toward the development of personal power generators 2012 Event Scientists at Stanford University invent a working bionic eye the is powered only by focused light; the eye could eventually restore the sight of millions of people suffering from macular degeneration and retinal pigmentosa 2012 Event Scientists believe a link exists between the disappearance of endangered languages and cultures and a loss of biodiversity 2012 Event Scientists in Kamchatka, Russia, report sighting the first adult white orca to be seen in the wild 2012 Event Scientists claim a recent study suggests that donor stem cells may prevent organ rejection in cases of imperfectly matched transplants 2012 Event Scientists discover two new species of prehistoric penguins, Kairuku waitaki and Kairuku grebneffi, which stood over five feet tall 2012 Event Scientists regenerated specimens from Silene stenophylla, a 31,800 year old piece of fruit, substantially surpassing previous records for the oldest plant regenerated 2011 Event Scientists in New Britain discover the first orchid known to flower at night, Bulbophyllum nocturnum, over the cost of Papua New Guinea 2011 Event NASA scientists announce the discovery of a circumbinary planet - a planet the orbits two stars instead of one 2011 Event In South Africa, scientists find Australopithecus sediba skeletons are 2 million years old, suggesting the hominid species could be a transitional fossil between apes and humans 2011 Event In Borneo a previously extinct rainbow toad is rediscovered by scientists; the sighting is the first since its extinction was declared in 1924 2011 Event After scientists reviewed studies on cell phone safety, the World Health Organization classifies cell phone radiation as a carcinogenic hazard, possibly carcinogenic to humans 2011 Event In Canada's Arctic regions, scientists study an outbreak of avian cholera responsible for killing thousands of eider ducks 2011 Event Scientists claim 2010 was the warmest year ever recorded, and the last decade the warmest ever recorded, in 200 years 2011 Event Scientists posit that streams of antimatter positrons detected annihilating electrons cause Terrestrial gamma-ray flashes on top of thunderstorms 2011 Event Over 5,000 red-winged blackbirds suddenly die in Beebe, Arkansas, on New Year's Eve; scientists investigate causes of the bird die-off 2010 Event In Heuneburg, Germany, scientists discover a late Bronze Age grave of a Celtic princess, containing amber, gold, bronze and coal 2010 Event In Prague, scientists exhume the remains of 16th century astronomer Tycho Brahe, in an effort to solve the mystery of his sudden death 2010 Event Scientists working near Kokoda, Papua New Guinea uncover world's oldest known high altitude human settlement, estimated to be 49,000 years old 2010 Event Scientists announce the discovery of Inkayacu, an extinct genus of prehistoric penguin that lived in the Late Eocene period 2010 Event Scientists at the Craig J. Venter Institute announce they have successfully created the world's first artificial lifeform by transplanting a synthesized genome into an existing cell 2010 Event Scientists announce the discovery of three new animal species that spent their entire lives without oxygen; the species are phylum Loricifera 2010 Event Denisova hominin - a previously unknown type of ancient human, is identified by scientists through DNA analysis from a finger discovered in a cave near Siberia, Russia 2009 Event 30,000 Phillipine people remain in temporary shelter as scientists predict the Mount Mayon volcano will erupt in the coming weeks 2009 Event U.S. Scientists believe to have discovered an antibody that can miminize internal bleeding in trauma victims 1997 Event Span scientists announce new human species in 780,000 year old fossil 1997 Event Scientists in Scotland announced they succeeded in cloning an adult mammal, producing a lamb named "Dolly" 1995 Event Most distant galaxy yet discovered found by scientists using Keck telescope in Hawaii (est 15 billion light years away) 1989 Event 2 Utah scientists claim they have produced fusion at room temperature 1988 Event 500 U.S. scientists pledge to boycott Pentagon germ-warfare research 1976 Event Scientists in Pasadena, California, announce Viking I found strongest indications to date of possible life on Mars 1970 Event Scientists perform 1st artificial synthesis of a live cell 1969 Event Isolation of single gene announced by scientists at Harvard 1958 Event 9,000 scientists of 43 nations petition United Nations for nuclear test ban 1955 Event Columbia U scientists develope an atomic clock accurate to within one second in 300 years 1953 Birthday Sallie L. Baliunas, born in New York, New York, astrophysicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, cited as one of America's outstanding women scientists 1948 Event 75 scientists ambushed on way to Mount Scopus 1908 Event Dutch scientists produce solid helium 1898 Event Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discovers radium 1895 Event Auguste and Louis Lumiere show film for scientists 1756 Birthday Willem Bilderdijk, Dutch poet/literature, Disease of Scientists
