page_title: 2013 in science
section_title: May
hierarchical_section_title: 2013 in science / Events, discoveries and inventions / May
caption_attribution_description: English: Olive baboon in the Serengeti National Park
context_page_description: A number of significant scientific events occurred in 2013, including the discovery of numerous Earthlike exoplanets, the development of viable lab-grown ears, teeth, livers and blood vessels, and the atmospheric entry of the most destructive meteor since 1908. The year also saw successful new treatments for diseases such as HIV, Usher syndrome and leukodystrophy, and a major expansion in the use and capabilities of technologies such as 3D printing and autonomous cars.
  The United Nations designated 2013 the International Year of Water Cooperation.
context_section_description: 1 May
  IBM scientists release A Boy and His Atom, the smallest stop-motion animation ever created, made by manipulating individual carbon monoxide molecules with a scanning tunnelling microscope.
  Researchers discover that boron nitride – a nanomaterial also known as "white graphene" – is highly effective at removing harmful chemicals from polluted water, and could be used to clean up future oil spills.
  American engineers create a multi-lens digital camera that mimics an insect's compound eye, providing immense depth of field without distorting the image.
  2 May – Harvard scientists unveil RoboBee, a miniature robot with the smallest ever man-made wings capable of flight.
  3 May
  Scientists announce the discovery of a previously unknown meat-eating theropod dinosaur, Aorun zhaoi, dating from approximately 161 million years ago. It is the oldest coelurosaur yet discovered.
  Researchers cure epilepsy in mice using transplanted brain cells.
  6 May
  It is shown that boosting a single gene can increase the maximum lifespan of fruit flies by over 25 percent.
  European researchers announce a potential cure for grey hair.
  American scientists transform skin cells into bone cells using induced pluripotent methods, in which the cells were grown on scaffolding, allowing them to gain a 3D structure. This is the first time a fully functioning three-dimensional bone structure has been created from cell lines.
  A new study finds that children whose parents suck on their pacifiers have fewer allergies later in life.
  Solar engineers discover a method of increasing the efficiency of standard commercial silicon solar cells from 19% to 23%.
  7 May
  A new study suggests that all Europeans are related to a small group of ancestors dating back only 1,000 years.
  Researchers discover statistical but controversial evidence for the proposed Eurasiatic language superfamily, dating back 15,000 years.
  Scientists identify what may be the earliest known pachycephalosaur, Acrotholus audeti.
  The Alzheimer's drug Gammagard fails to produce results in a large-scale clinical trial.
  8 May – Researchers achieve a significant breakthrough in understanding genital herpes, which could lead to the development of a vaccine to prevent and treat HSV-2.
  9 May
  In a breakthrough they describe as "huge", researchers have identified a protein that reduces heart size and thickness in mice. This could potentially offer a way of treating heart failure and aging in humans.
  A congressional hearing by two U. S. House of Representatives subcommittees discusses exoplanet discoveries, prompted by the discovery of the exoplanet Kepler-62f, along with Kepler-62e and Kepler-62c. A related special issue of the journal Science, published earlier, described the discovery of the exoplanets.
  10 May
  An annular solar eclipse occurs.
  The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO
  2) in Earth's atmosphere reaches a symbolic milestone, passing 400 ppm (parts per million) for the first time in human history.
  Researchers create a form of magnetic graphene that could transform the electronics industry.
  The Royal Canadian Mounted Police report the first known case of a life being saved by a search and rescue drone.
  11 May – Researchers develop a thermal invisibility device, measuring 5 cm wide, able to "cloak" objects from heat.
  12 May – It is discovered that Utricularia gibba, a carnivorous bladderwort plant, has the shortest known DNA sequence of any multicellular plant. It largely lacks "junk DNA", sequences of code that do not encode proteins.
  13 May – Researchers at NYU school of Medicine identify a key protein mutation, called Ras, that is the mechanism through which pancreatic cancer cells acquire nutrients.
  14 May – Iranian scientists create copper iodide nanostructures by applying pomegranate juice as a reducer.
  15 May
  Human embryonic stem cells are created by cloning for the first time, with major implications for treating a wide range of diseases.
  NASA reports that a reaction wheel on the Kepler space observatory may be malfunctioning and may result in the premature termination of the observatory's search
caption: 15 May 2013: researchers discover key cholesterol genes in baboons, potentially leading to new drugs to treat heart disease in humans.
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