7. A 17-year-old built a biofuel lab in her room



Sara Volz of Colorado Springs has managed to do something scientists have been struggling with for years – she refined the process that uses algae to create bio-fuel efficiently. This is proof that bio-fuel production is viable and will most likely replace fossil fuels in the future. It also won Miss Volz $100,000, and honestly – she deserves it!

8. Two people managed to communicate only with thoughts



An international team of researchers working in France and India created a machine that allows people to communicate through thought alone. A man in France and a man in India shared simple 1-word messages without speaking, writing or even moving.

9. NASA launched a new kind of spaceship



On December 5th, NASA launched the Orion spacecraft – a new type of ship that will be able to take humans further out in the solar system, to places like Mars or the Asteroid belt.

10. 2014 was possibly the hottest year on record



The UN has announced that 2014 is one of the, if not THE hottest year in history. The head of the World Meteorological Organization said that: "What we saw in 2014 is consistent with what we expect from a changing climate. Record-breaking heat combined with torrential rainfall and floods destroyed livelihoods and ruined lives". (The picture above is of Lake Oroville in California in 2011 vs. 2014)

11. We recreated the history of the universe

In May 2014, an incredible computer model was created that re-enacts the history of the universe according to the big bang theory - from 12 million years after the 'Big Bang' and up until today – some 14 billion years later. Enjoy the video below: