Top 100 stories of 2008
#1: The Post-Oil Era Begins
12.22.2008 Electricity may be what fuels our future—electricity from renewables, nuclear, and even from burning biomass.
by Ben Hewitt
The Year in Human Origins
Ancient computers, evolving the perfect canoe, the "hobbit" smackdown, and more. 12.28.2008
The Year in Genetics
Musical genes, the platypus as animal grab-bag, cracking the anthrax case, and more. 12.27.2008
The Year in Physics
Hunting the "God particle," seeking invisibility, instant communication, and more. 12.25.2008
The Year in Earth Science
Life from space, killer hail, bacterial weather, and more 12.24.2008
#2: The LHC Begins Its Search for the "God Particle"
After many years and billions of dollars, the LHC had its fateful first test run. 12.22.2008
#3: The FDA Tackles Tainted Drugs From China
The realities of globalization hit the U.S. drug industry. 12.22.2008
#4: Slime Is Turning the Seas Into Dead Zones
Pollution, overfishing, and the rise of microbes spell doom for many bodies of water. 12.22.2008
#5: Nations Stake Their Claims to a Melting Arctic
Undiscovered oil and gas reserves below the ice set off a polar gold rush. 12.22.2008
#6: Phoenix Lander Strikes Ice on Mars
Finally, positive confirmation of what we long thought and hoped for 12.21.2008
#7: Invisibility Becomes More than Just a Fantasy
Researchers are cloaking materials from light, sound, and even matter itself. 12.21.2008
#8: Cavemen: They're Just Like Us
Neanderthals were a sophisticated bunch, according to new research. 12.21.2008
#9: Your Genome, Now Available for a (Relative) Discount
The first cost around $1 million; now, it's more like $200,000. 12.21.2008
#10: Coming to the Americas
Several studies sharpen the picture of life and migration through the Arctic and into the New World. 12.21.2008
#11: Effective Kidney Transplants Without a Lifetime of Powerful Drugs
A new technique help transplant patients live, even with mismatched organs. 12.20.2008
#12: Plastics Come Under Fire
The BPA debate rages on as the public demands action. 12.20.2008
#13: China Takes Its First Space Walk
A nation delights in its pioneering venture. 12.20.2008
#14: All Flus Lead to Asia
The Far East is the incubator of every strain—and the key to treating the disease. 12.20.2008
#15: The Lost Cities of the Amazon
What is now sparsely populated jungle held large urban settlements hundreds of years ago. 12.20.2008
#16: Researchers Produce Human Blood from Stem Cells
It's not quite the same, but lab-generated blood gets the job done. 12.19.2008
#17: Cell Reprogramming Could Help Cure Diabetes—and Other Diseases
Stem-cell guru says reprogramming adult cells might actually work better. 12.19.2008
#18: Two Alzheimer’s Drugs Show Promise
The new drugs use a totally different mechanism than most would-be treatments. 12.19.2008
#19: Salmonella Outbreak Shines Light on Food Safety
Two deaths and countless dollars later, the chinks in the food system are exposed. 12.19.2008
#20: The “Doomsday Vault” Stores Seeds for a Global Agriculture Reboot
Humanity's chances to survive global warming and nuclear attacks just increased. 12.19.2008
#21: Plants Inspire a Better Way to Store Solar Energy
Using the principles of photosynthesis, scientists create more efficient storage for solar power. 12.18.2008
#22: Mercury Reveals Its Secrets
The planet comes into focus during NASA's first visit in 33 years. 12.18.2008
#23: Black Holes Birth Baby Stars
Computer simulations reveal the source of mystery constellations. 12.18.2008
#24: Gene Therapy Returns (Some) Sight to (Some) Blind People
Genetic tinkering helps repair one rare form of congenital blindness. 12.17.2008
#25: EPA Searches Soul, Tries to Figure out If It's a Climate Cop
The agency moves toward acting on greenhouse gases, but change will probably wait for Obama. 12.17.2008
#26: Sun Catcher Promises Cheaper Solar Power
Using laser technology, scientists build a low-cost solar concentrator. 12.17.2008
#27: Astronomers Spy the Youngest Planet Ever Found
The latest, newest protoplanet is a "dusty, rocky, gaseous lump." 12.17.2008
#28: Lithium May Be the Answer for Lou Gehrig’s Disease
A new study brings some hope that the disease can be treated. 12.17.2008
#29: A New Law Bans Genetic Discrimination
After over a decade, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act becomes law. 12.17.2008
#30: Magpies Recognize Themselves in the Mirror
The birds pass the test for "rudimentary sense of self." 12.17.2008
#31: Fish Farming Threatens Wild Salmon
Lice, interbreeding, and contaminants are killing off the species. 12.16.2008
#32: DNA Sleuthing Cracks the Anthrax Case
Microbial forensics seems to have solved an infamous whodunnit. 12.16.2008
#33: The First Known Case of Virus-Attacks-Virus
Sputnik virus seems to have influenced evolution of the Mamavirus. 12.16.2008
#34: Anti-Malaria Gene Boosts HIV Vulnerability
An adaptation against tropical disease makes people of African descent more prone to AIDS. 12.16.2008
#35: Scientists Find the Key to Bringing Dead Zones Back to Life
Phosphorus levels can make or break a lake, it turns out. 12.16.2008
#36: Creationism Lurks in Public High Schools
One in six teachers say they believe the earth is 6,000 years old. 12.15.2008
#37: Shorebird Population Is in Rapid Decline
Australian and Asian birds are a clear example of population collapse. 12.15.2008
#38: Cholesterol Drugs Are Prescribed for High-Risk Kids
8-year-olds can now take statins to reduce the chances of heart disease. 12.15.2008
#39: Amazonian Tribe Doesn't Have Words for Numbers
The Pirahã people overturned scientists' belief about human cognition. 12.15.2008
#40: The First Known Binary Black Hole System
One of the most massive things in the universe turns out to have a little buddy. 12.15.2008
#41: A Synthetic Genome Is Built From Scratch
The art of recreating an entire bacterial genome. 12.14.2008
#42: Geneticists Uncover the Origin of Blue Eyes
A single genetic mutation gives life to baby blues. 12.14.2008
#43: Next-Level Quantum Spookiness
Photons instantaneously send signals over 11 miles. Einstein remains perplexed. 12.14.2008
#44: The Baffling Bee Die-Off Continues
Colony Collapse Disorder continues its relentless march. 12.14.2008
#45: Huge Population of Lowland Gorillas Found
For once, researchers come up with good news for an endangered species. 12.14.2008
#46: FDA Approves Food From Cloned Animals
Meat and milk products from cloned livestock may soon hit the shelves. 12.13.2008
#47: Biologists Watch HIV Replicate in Real Time
Using fluorescent proteins, researchers observer the virus forming. 12.13.2008
#48: Cyber Attacks May Be Connected With Real War
As tensions with Russia mounted, Georgia got slammed by hackers. 12.13.2008
#49: Plant Migration Tied to Climate Change
When the going gets hot, vegetation runs for the hills. 12.13.2008
#50: Confirmed: 1969 Meteorite Brought Genetic Building Blocks From Space
More evidence that asteroids may have led to the emergence of life on earth. 12.13.2008
#51: Physicists Build the World’s Smallest Transistor
The tiny device measures an astonishing 10 atoms by 1 atom. 12.12.2008
#52: Musical Ability Seems to Be 50 Percent Genetic
Beethovens of the world may have innate advantages like better signaling from inner-ear hair cells. 12.12.2008
#53: Bizarre Aquatic Creatures Are Secretly "Lesbian Necrophiliacs"
Asexual bdelloids aren't really asexual after all. 12.12.2008
#54: An “Elite” Immune System Can Prevent AIDS
A select few infected with HIV never become ill. 12.12.2008
#55: Polar Bears (Finally) Make the Endangered Species List
At long last, the government acknowledges the species is threatened. 12.12.2008
#56: Memory Training Can Make You Smarter
Your intelligence isn't just what you're born with. 12.11.2008
#57: Schizophrenia Linked to Large Genetic Alterations
Some sufferers of the disease have entirely unique DNA duplications or deletions. 12.11.2008
#58: Smart People Are Better Able to Keep a Beat
Good neural functioning is good neural functioning. 12.11.2008
#59: Low-Fat Is Officially Inferior to Low-Carb
A comprehensive study gives a big piece of ammunition to the Atkins crowd. 12.11.2008
#60: Mars Became Lopsided After Massive Asteroid Collision
After 30 years, the debate over the red planet's shape may be over. 12.11.2008
#61: A New Drug Delivers “Fitness” Without the Workout
Take a pill and simulate the effects of exercise. 12.10.2008
#62: Researchers Discover Why Wound-Licking Works
Compounds in saliva actually do speed healing. 12.10.2008
#63: Lizardlike Tuatara Sets a Speed Record for DNA Change
The reptile undergoes rapid molecular evolution but is largely unchanged since the time of the dinosaurs. 12.10.2008
#64: Spain Gives Great Apes Legal Rights
The animals have the right to life and protection from harmful research practices. 12.10.2008
#65: Long-Prophesied Circuit Element Could Revolutionize Computing
Instant booting and decreased power consumption may soon be realities with the new "memristor." 12.10.2008
#66: Natural Selection Helped Indonesians Find the Perfect Canoe
Darwinian-style evolution pushes cultural change, a new paper argues. 12.10.2008
#67: Drilling, Not Earthquake, Caused Giant Hot Mud Volcano
Some claim an earthquake caused this mud river, but new research says otherwise. 12.10.2008
#68: Solved: The Mystery of Gravity-Defying Sap
One synthetic tree accomplishes what loads of scientists never could. 12.10.2008
#69: Physicists Create a Perfect Place to Store Electricity
New "superinsulator" can hold a charge forever without leakage 12.10.2008
#70: A Single Electron Is Caught on Film
Scientists make one of the world's most remarkable movies. 12.10.2008
#71: Slime Molds Show Surprising Degree of Intelligence
A creature with no brain can learn from and even anticipate events. 12.09.2008
#72: Prozac Cures Lazy Eye
The antidepressent might be the answer to wiping out amblyopia for good. 12.09.2008
#73: Giant Ice Meteors Fall From Clear Skies
20-pound chunks of ice falling on a sunny day? It's no urban myth. 12.09.2008
#74: Viruses Are Put to Work Building Superbatteries
Engineers turn viruses into little engineers. 12.09.2008
#75: Chilies' Fire Is Self-Defense Against a Surprising Foe
Capsaicin keeps fungus from chomping on pepper plants but does nothing to dissuade hungry bugs. 12.09.2008
#76: Europe’s Oldest Hominid Makes Its Debut
Archaeologists in Spain uncover the remains of a 1.2-million-year-old human. 12.09.2008
#77: X-Rays Reveal Ship-Wreckage to Be 2,000-Year-Old Astronomy Computer
The Antikythera Mechanism tracked heavenly movements like clockwork. 12.09.2008
#78: The Galaxy that Spins a Giant Magnetic Web
This "fiery spiderweb" uses magnetic fields to survive tough storms. 12.09.2008
#79: The Ancient Rat as Big as a Bull
This giant rodent weighed as much as a compact car. 12.09.2008
#80: Invented: Self-Healing Rubber Made From Vegetable Oil and Pee Ingredient
Hydrogen bonds let ripped material re-form. 12.09.2008
#81: Smart-Matter Robots Reassemble Themselves
Like the Terminator T-1000, these robots can fix themselves after being scattered. 12.08.2008
#82: The New Immune System Weapon: A DNA Catapult in Your Gut
Triggered by harmful bacteria, cells fling killer webs of DNA to ensnare the intruder. 12.08.2008
#83: Bulletproof Paper Is Stronger Than Kevlar
New nanopaper is not only super-strong, but made from renewable materials. 12.08.2008
#84: 9,000-Year-Old Milk Cartons Found
A new study examines the world's oldest cattle ranchers. 12.08.2008
#85: Smackdown Over Ancient "Hobbit" Continues
A mysterious skeleton puzzles scientists who wonder if it was human. 12.08.2008
#86: You, Too, Have a Photographic Memory
When put to the test, your brain remembers images with astonishing accuracy. 12.07.2008
#87: Speedy Sperm Explains Flower Power
The quickest out of the gate, angiosperms dominate the plant world. 12.07.2008
#88: Bacteria Can Control the Weather
The tiny organisms may play a big role in causing precipitation. 12.07.2008
#89: Archaeologists Find the World’s Oldest Arrowheads
While others were still hurling spears, these ancient people were felling prey with arrows. 12.07.2008
#90: The Platypus Genome Is a Mash-Up of Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals
One animal, three completely different ancestors. 12.07.2008
#91: Humans Have 5 Universal Facial Muscles—and 10 Optional Ones
For the first time, psychologists mapped muscle variation in the face. 12.05.2008
#92: A 380-Million-Year-Old Fish Gives Birth
Paleontologists unearth a prehistoric pregnant skeleton. 12.05.2008
#93: Physicists Discover the Source of Earth’s "Mystery Hiss"
A strange electromagnetic wave follows the path of sound waves through water. 12.05.2008
#94: Seaweed Creates Its Own Sunscreen
The soggy brown kelp protects itself with iodides. 12.05.2008
#95: Organic Matter Found in Saturn's Mystery Moon
Icy Jets from the planet's sixth-largest moon contain primitive components of life. 12.05.2008
#96: Ancient Traders Sailed the South American Seas
Using no more than sail-bearing rafts, these travelers carried goods almost 4,000 miles. 12.04.2008
#97: All-Powerful Astronomers Turn "Dwarf Planets" Into "Plutoids"
Faced with an outcry over ungainly titles, the IAU comes up with a better alternative. 12.04.2008
#98: You're More Like a Sponge Than a Comb Jelly
A gelatinous zooplankton can now trace its roots back to the world's first life. 12.04.2008
#99: Jupiter Grows (and Loses) a New Spot
The massive planet passed behind the sun and arrived with a brand new decoration. 12.04.2008
#100: This Animal Has the Strongest Bite on Earth
A bite from the biggest great white sharks leaves nearly every other species—both alive and extinct—in the dust. 12.04.2008
