The periodic table just got 4 new elements

Elements of the periodic table

The seventh row of the periodic table is now complete.

Four as-yet-unnamed chemical elements — labeled 113, 115, 117, and 118 — mark the first additions to the table since 2011. The elements, which are all classified as "superheavy" because they have more than 104 protons, were officially acknowledged by the U.S.-based International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry on Dec. 30.

"To scientists, this is of greater value than an Olympic gold medal," said Ryoji Noyori, a Nobel laureate in chemistry.

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Next up, scientists say: discovering element 119.

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