The fusion-evaporation reaction Pu244(Ca48,3-4n)114288,289 was studied at the new gas-filled recoil separator TASCA. Thirteen correlated decay chains were observed and assigned to the production and decay of 114288,289. At a compound nucleus excitation energy of E*=39.8\char21{}43.9\,\,MeV, the 4n evaporation channel cross section was 9.8-3.1+3.9\,\,pb. At E*=36.1\char21{}39.5\,\,MeV, that of the 3n evaporation channel was 8.0-4.5+7.4\,\,pb. In one of the 3n evaporation channel decay chains, a previously unobserved $\alpha${}~branch in Ds281 was observed (probability to be of random origin from background: 0.1%). This $\alpha${}~decay populated the new nucleus Hs277, which decayed by spontaneous fission after a lifetime of 4.5~ms.

Molecules containing short-lived, radioactive nuclei are uniquely positioned to enable a wide range of scientific discoveries in the areas of fundamental symmetries, astrophysics, nuclear structure, and chemistry. Recent advances in the ability to create, cool, and control complex molecules down to the quantum level, along with recent and upcoming advances in radioactive species production at several facilities around the world, create a compelling opportunity to coordinate and combine these efforts to bring precision measurement and control to molecules containing extreme nuclei. In this manuscript, we review the scientific case for studying radioactive molecules, discuss recent atomic, molecular, nuclear, astrophysical, and chemical advances which provide the foundation for their study, describe the facilities where these species are and will be produced, and provide an outlook for the future of this nascent field.