The Top 10 Breakthroughs of 2014 in Science (VIDEO)

When it comes to science--and Science--there are some breakthroughs that stand above the rest. Now, the journal has released the top-10 list of scientific breakthroughs for 2014. What made the list? That's a good question.

First up is the Philae lander from the Rosetta spacecraft. The mission made major headlines this November when Philae touched down on the surface of the speeding comet, known as 67P/Churyumov/Gerasimenko. Although the landing itself was rougher than expected, Philae is sending back data that's already shedding light on the evolution of comets.

"Philae's landing was an amazing feat and got the world's attention," said Tim Appenzeller, news editor of Science, in a news release. "But the whole Rosetta mission is the breakthrough. It's giving scientists a ringside seat as a comet warms up, breathes and evolves."

It's not just Rosetta that's getting recognition, though. There are other discoveries that Science is recognizing this year. There are a series of papers that compared fossils of early birds and dinosaurs revealed exactly how the dinosaur-bird transition occurred, for example. Another study on the list is one that demonstrated that blood from a young mouse can rejuvenate the muscles and brains of older mice, which could have huge implications for Alzheimer's patients.

In addition, the journal highlights new software and interactive robots that instrument swarms of termite-inspired bots to work together. Computer engineers have also mimicked the architecture of the human brain in "neuromorphic" chips, and two groups pioneered two different methods for growing cells that closely resemble beta cells.

 The entire list is available in the journal Science.

Want to learn more about the top 10 discoveries in the journal? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.

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