The eco-friendly hotel LEAPrus3912 was opened on the southern slope of Elbrus. It is located at an altitude of 3912 m a.s.l.
The construction was completed in September 2013 and began accepting guests a month later. The hotel is located on the route most frequently used by climbers.
In 2011, researchers discovered two new species of freshwater stingrays in the Amazon River.
The Heliotrygon (rosai and gomesi), commonly referred to as the Pancake stingrays, is the first new genus of stingrays from the Amazon described since 1987.