[en] The discovery of element ²⁶⁵108 is described together with the new isotopes ^259-261106. The decay properties of the isotopes are given. The production cross sections are presented. The mass excess of ²⁶⁰106 is determined and it is shown that the isotopes of elements Z > 106 have shell stabilisations of more than -5 MeV. The high shell stabilisation is reflected in high fission barriers and surprisingly high lifetimes of the even-even isotopes against spontaneous fission of about 10 ms. High α-energies for the proton rich isotopes and decreasing α-decay lifetimes allow α-decay to compete with spontaneous fission. The α-active island of light isotopes for elements beyond 106 is discussed. An extrapolation to heavier element shows that superheavy elements around ²⁷⁷114 should decay by α-emission and could be unabmiguously detected by their daughters which are the isotopes discovered. The limitations of fusion are discussed. The dynamical hindrances in the entrance channel reduces the cross sections of evaporation residues dramatically beyond a certain value of the ratio between Coulomb and nuclear forces. The thermal hindrance in the exit channel prevents the compound system to survive, as the shell stabilisation is lost already at moderate excitation energies. It is shown that especially the spherical nuclei only profit from their shell stabilisation at excitation energies below 20 MeV. The prospects to go beyond element 109 are discussed. (orig.)