Feature

Planetary Science

Year in Review: Methane shortage on Mars

A trace of the gas is not enough to be a sign of life.

Neuroscience

Year in Review: Obama unveils brain initiative

In April, the president announced an ambitious plan to reveal the human brain’s secrets.

Psychology

Year in Review: DSM-5’s controversial debut

The diagnostic manual updates disorder criteria.

Physics

Year in Review: Below absolute zero, but hot

Lab trickery pushes atoms to a negative temperature.

Astronomy

Year in Review: Death of a planet hunter

The Kepler space telescope finishes a brilliant career.

Astronomy

Year in Review: Voyager 1 reaches interstellar space

The planetary probe is the first human-made object to break out of the heliosphere.

Health & Medicine

Year in Review: Putting kids at risk

U.S. parents increasingly are delaying their children’s vaccination.

Climate

Year in Review: Carbon dioxide levels pass milestone

Although scientists are confident about humankind’s role in climate change, they still have a lot to learn about the magnitude and timing of future climate shifts.

Genetics

Year in Review: Caffeine triggers cloning advance

To successfully clone human cells, eggs must be dunked in the stimulant.

Humans

Year in Review: Language learning starts before birth

Babies seem familiar with vowels and words heard while in the womb.

Science & Society

Year in Review: High court rules against gene patents

The justices’ decision opens the way for choices in DNA testing.

Health & Medicine

Year in Review: Sleep clears the cluttered brain

Some forms of brain washing are good, like the thorough hosing the brain gets during sleep.