Top science stories of 2010 include UCSC research

In Science magazine, the Neanderthal genome was runner-up for "Breakthrough of the Year," while the analysis of ancient DNA was among the "Insights of the Decade."

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)
The Discover magazine top 100 list also included two other stories with UCSC connections: environmental studies researcher Winifred Frick was mentioned in an item on the deadly plague devastating bat populations; and the discovery of a superfast shift in Earth's magnetic field was made by two geologists who earned their Ph.D. degrees at UCSC, Scott Bogue and Jonathan Glen.