罗塞塔探测器勘测67P彗星：罗塞塔探测器历经65亿公里太空之旅，终于接近67P彗星，2014年11月12日，该探测器释放“菲莱”登陆器着陆67P彗星表面。最新勘测结果显示，67P彗星的水资源与地球不同，暗示着地球最早的水资源并非起源于彗星，很可能来自于小行星。
年轻者的血液修复年迈者的健康问题（Young blood fixes old）：研究人员证明，来自年轻小鼠的血液——甚或只是来自年轻小鼠血液中的一个叫做GDF11的因子——能够让较老迈的小鼠的肌肉和大脑“返老还童”。这些发现已经开启了一项临床试验，在该试验中，阿尔茨海默氏症患者接受了年轻捐赠人的血浆。
让机器人合作（Robots）：新的软件和互动机器人正向人们证明，机器人终于能在无需人监督的情况下一同工作；例如，指示成群的受到白蚁启发的机器人来构建一种简单的结构，或提示一千个25美分硬币大小的机器人形成方块、字母及其它二维形状等。
神经形态芯片（Neuromorphic chips）：今年，通过模仿人类大脑结构，来自IBM和其他地方的电脑工程师首次推出了大规模的“神经形态”芯片，它们被设计成用更接近活体大脑的方式来处理信息。
β细胞（Beta cells）：今年，两个不同的小组开创了两种不同的方法在实验室中来生长酷似β细胞的细胞，这给了研究人员前所未有的研究糖尿病的机会；β细胞是胰脏中产生胰岛素的细胞。
印度尼西亚的洞穴艺术（Indonesian cave art）：研究人员意识到，印度尼西亚某洞穴中的手模印和动物绘画——曾被认为有1万年之久——实际上其年代在3万5000年至4万年前。这些发现表明，人类在亚洲制作的象征性艺术与最早的欧洲洞穴画家的作品一样早。
操纵记忆（Manipulating memory）：研究人员用光遗传学技术显示，他们能在小鼠中操纵特定的记忆；光遗传学是一种用光束来操纵神经元活动的技术。删除现有的记忆并植入虚假的记忆，他们竟然能够将某小鼠记忆的情绪内容从好转成坏，反之亦可。
方块卫星（CubeSats）：尽管这些卫星在10多年前就被发射进入太空，如今这些各面面积只有10平方厘米的被称作方块卫星（CubeSats）的廉价人造卫星在2014年才真正获得成功。据研究人员披露，这些曾被认为是大学生的教学工具的微型卫星已经开始从事进行一些真正的科学工作了。
扩增基因字母（Expanded genetic alphabet）：研究人员设计制造了一种大肠杆菌，它除了有正常的G、T、C和A等核酸外还含有另外两种核酸——X 和 Y；G、T、C和A是组成DNA的标准构建要素。这种合成细菌无法在实验室外繁殖，但它们可被用来制造具有“非自然”氨基酸的设计蛋白。
C. Foth, H. Tischlinger, and O. W. M. Rauhut, “New specimen of Archaeopteryx provides insights into the evolution of pennaceous feathers,” Nature511, 7507 (3 July 2014).
“Feathers that didn’t fly,” Science345, 6192 (4 July 2014).
FREE ACCESS: M. Balter, “Earliest dinosaurs may have sported feathers,” News from Science (24 July 2014).
FREE ACCESS: M. Balter, “How Birds Survived the Dinosaur Apocalypse,” News from Science (6 May 2014).
M. S. Y. Lee et al., “Sustained miniaturization and anatomical innovation in the dinosaurian ancestors of birds,” Science345, 6196 (1 August 2014).
P. Godefroit et al., “A Jurassic ornithischian dinosaur from Siberia with both feathers and scales,” Science345, 6195 (25 July 2014).
R. B. J. Benson et al., “Rates of Dinosaur Body Mass Evolution Indicate 170 Million Years of Sustained Ecological Innovation on the Avian Stem Lineage,” PLOS Biology (6 May 2014).
S. L. Brusatte et al., “Gradual Assembly of Avian Body Plan Culminated in Rapid Rates of Evolution across the Dinosaur-Bird Transition,” Current Biology24, 20 (20 October 2014).
T. Wogan, “Flight may have evolved multiple times in birds,” Science (2 July 2014).
University of Southampton, “Shrinking dinosaurs evolved into flying birds,” ScienceDaily (31 July 2014).
X. Xu et al., “An integrative approach to understanding bird origins,” Science346, 6215 (12 December 2014).
Young blood fixes old
J. Kaiser, “‘Rejuvenation Factor’ in Blood Turns Back the Clock in Old Mice,” Science344, 6184 (9 May 2014).
L. Katsimpardi et al., “Vascular and Neurogenic Rejuvenation of the Aging Mouse Brain by Young Systemic Factors,” Science344, 6184 (9 May 2014).
M. Sinha et al., “Restoring Systemic GDF11 Levels Reverses Age-Related Dysfunction in Mouse Skeletal Muscle,” Science344, 6184 (9 May 2014).
S. S. Hall, “Young blood,” Science345, 6202 (12 September 2014).
Robots
FREE ACCESS: E. Pennisi, “Termite-Inspired Robots Build With Bricks,” News from Science (13 February 2014).
E. Yong, “A Bird-Like Flock of Autonomous Drones,” National Geographic (27 February 2014).
F. Augugliaro et al., “The Flight Assembled Architecture installation: Cooperative construction with flying machines,” IEEE Control Systems Magazine34, 4 (August 2014).
G. Vásárhelyi et al., “Outdoor flocking and formation flight with autonomous aerial robots,” IEEE IROS 2014 Conference.
I. O’Hara et al., “Self-Assembly of a Swarm of Autonomous Boats into Floating Structures.”
J. Werfel, K. Petersen, and R. Nagpal, “Designing Collective Behavior in a Termite-Inspired Robot Construction Team,” Science343, 6172 (14 February 2014).
M. Basiri et al., “Audio-Based Localization for Swarms of Micro Air Vehicles,” 2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (4 June 2014).
M. Rubenstein, A. Cornejo, and R. Nagpal, “Programmable self-assembly in a thousand-robot swarm,” Science345, 6198 (15 August 2014).
Beta cells
A. Rezania et al., “Reversal of diabetes with insulin-producing cells derived in vitro from human pluripotent stem cells,” Nature Biotechnology32, 11 (November 2014).
F. W. Pagliuca et al., “Generation of Functional Human Pancreatic β Cells In Vitro,” Cell159, 2 (9 October 2014).
FREE ACCESS: G. Vogel, “For diabetes, stem cell recipe offers new hope,” News from Science (9 October 2014).
G. Vogel, “Stem cell recipe offers diabetes hope,” Science346, 6206 (10 October 2014).
Indonesian cave art
FREE ACCESS: A. Gibbons, “Indonesian cave art may be world’s oldest,” News from Science (8 October 2014).
E. Pons-Branchu et al., “Uranium series dating of carbonate formations associated with rock art: interest and limits,” Bulletin de la Société Préhistorique Française 111, 2 (2015).
M. Aubert et al., “Pleistocene cave art from Sulawesi, Indonesia,” Nature514, 7521 (9 October 2014).
FREE ACCESS: M. Balter, “Engravings of Female Genitalia May Be World’s Oldest Cave Art,” News from Science (14 May 2012).
M. Balter, “On the Origin of Art and Symbolism,” Science323, 5915 (6 February 2009).
W. Roebroeks, “Archaeology: Art on the move,” Nature514, 7521 (9 October 2014).
