Magazines of all kinds present round-ups of the year's top stories in their December issues, and science magazines are no exception. This year, two stories involving UCSC turned up on a wide array of lists of the top science stories of 2010.
The use of ancient DNA to determine the Neanderthal genome sequence, in which biomolecular engineer Richard Green played a prominent role, was one of those stories. Another was the discovery of a potentially habitable planet around a star 20 light-years away by astronomer Steven Vogt's team.
The Neanderthal genome earned the following recognition:
- Science, Insights of the Decade and runner-up for Breakthrough of the Year
- Scientific American, Top 10 Science Stories of 2010
- Discover magazine, 100 Top Science Stories of 2010 (#72)
Vogt's discovery made the following lists:
- Parade magazine, 2010's Most Amazing Discoveries
- Esquire magazine, The Best of 2010
- Nature, Quotes of the Year
- National Geographic News, Best Space Discoveries of 2010
- Wired.com, Jargon Watch (for "Zarmina," the unofficial name Vogt gave the planet)
