Living Lab's end-of-year coverage focuses on advances and trends in ocean and space science, from Alvin to Rosetta. But no one list can capture a year of scientific advances.
The scientist in me is never content to read just one list of the year's top science stories and breakthroughs. I have to compare as many as possible to find the commonalities and the unique perspectives.
This year, Rosetta's comet landing was the hands-down winner across many lists. Those with a biology bent were hot on research on the origins of the human race, as well as artificially modified DNA. Although it's not a discovery, the Ebola outbreak shows up repeatedly, highlighting the subtle difference between a leading advancement and a headlining news story.
The journal Science, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, covers all the bases with three different lists:
- Breakthrough of the Year: The top 10 scientific achievements of 2014
- The top 10 science news stories of 2014
- The top 10 science images of of 2014
But Science is far from cornering the market in year-end "top 10" posts. Here are half a dozen others:
- Nature: Comets, stem cells and cosmic dust are among the year's top stories
- Scientific American: Top 10 Science Stories of 2014
- Popular Science: The 20 ideas, trends, and breakthroughs that will shape our world in 2014
- Science News: Ebola, Rosetta, e-cigarettes and more top stories of 2014
- Science Times: ESA’s Philae Lander May Take the Prize, But Here Are 9 Other Breakthroughs of 2014 Also Worth the Award
What tops your list?