The periodic table has expanded, as scientists have added a pair of manmade elements to the chart. The elements, known as Elements 114 and 116, are extremely radioactive and are now the heaviest we know to exist. Scientists from the international overseeing committees of physics and chemistry created them by smashing atoms together. Learn more about the latest elements from the video below, part of the Periodic Table of Videos series.

Read the full report of the new elements in the journal Pure and Applied Chemistry.

For a different look at the periodic table, check out the book  The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements (available in the library's new books section). Book description:

"The Periodic Table is one of man's crowning scientific achievements. But it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in "The Disappearing Spoon" follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them."