Nine Science Stories You Should Have Read This Year

It's also been a good year for science stories in Smithsonian magazine, including our special issue, Exploring the Frontiers of Science. Here are nine you should read if you haven't already:

Gene Therapy in a New Light: A husband-and-wife team's experimental genetic treatment for blindness is renewing hopes for a controversial field of medicine

What Darwin Didn't Know: Today's scientists marvel that the 19th-century naturalist's grand vision of evolution is still the key to life

Brain Cells for Socializing: Does an obscure nerve cell help explain what gorillas, elephants, whales—and people—have in common?

Robot Babies: Can scientists build a machine that learns as it goes and plays well with others? A new robot design draws on ways human babies learn about the world

Catching a Wave, Powering an Electrical Grid?: Electrical engineer Annette von Jouanne is pioneering an ingenious way to generate clean, renewable electricity from the sea

High Hopes for a New Kind of Gene: Scientists believe that microRNA may lead to breakthroughs in diagnosing and treating cancer

Mad About Seashells: Collectors have long prized mollusks for their beautiful exteriors, but for scientists, it’s what's inside that matters

Galileo's Vision: Four hundred years ago, the Italian scientist looked into space and changed our view of the universe

The Fatal Consequences of Counterfeit Drugs: In Southeast Asia, forensic investigators using cutting-edge tools are helping stanch the deadly trade in fake anti-malaria drugs

What science stories would you like to see in Smithsonian in 2010?

Sarah Zielinski | | READ MORE

Sarah Zielinski is an award-winning science writer and editor. She is a contributing writer in science for Smithsonian.com and blogs at Wild Things, which appears on Science News.