Discover Magazine's Top 100 Stories Of 2008

The interesting ones I include from this post - the others seemed like a lot of hot air, or were less interesting, or whatever:

#4: Slime Is Turning the Seas Into Dead Zones
Pollution, overfishing, and the rise of microbes spell doom for many bodies of water.
#5: Nations Stake Their Claims to a Melting Arctic
Undiscovered oil and gas reserves below the ice set off a polar gold rush.
#6: Phoenix Lander Strikes Ice on Mars
Finally, positive confirmation of what we long thought and hoped for.
#8: Cavemen: They're Just Like Us
Neanderthals were a sophisticated bunch, according to new research. 12.21.2008
#15: The Lost Cities of the Amazon
What is now sparsely populated jungle held large urban settlements hundreds of years ago.
#27: Astronomers Spy the Youngest Planet Ever Found
The latest, newest protoplanet is a "dusty, rocky, gaseous lump."
#30: Magpies Recognize Themselves in the Mirror
The birds pass the test for "rudimentary sense of self."
#31: Fish Farming Threatens Wild Salmon
Lice, interbreeding, and contaminants are killing off the species.
#35: Scientists Find the Key to Bringing Dead Zones Back to Life
Phosphorus levels can make or break a lake, it turns out.
#36: Creationism Lurks in Public High Schools
One in six teachers say they believe the earth is 6,000 years old.
#37: Shorebird Population Is in Rapid Decline
Australian and Asian birds are a clear example of population collapse.
#39: Amazonian Tribe Doesn't Have Words for Numbers
The Pirahã people overturned scientists' belief about human cognition.
#44: The Baffling Bee Die-Off Continues
Colony Collapse Disorder continues its relentless march.
#45: Huge Population of Lowland Gorillas Found
For once, researchers come up with good news for an endangered species.
#58: Smart People Are Better Able to Keep a Beat
Good neural functioning is good neural functioning.
#60: Mars Became Lopsided After Massive Asteroid Collision
After 30 years, the debate over the red planet's shape may be over.
#62: Researchers Discover Why Wound-Licking Works
Compounds in saliva actually do speed healing.
#67: Drilling, Not Earthquake, Caused Giant Hot Mud Volcano
Some claim an earthquake caused this mud river, but new research says otherwise.
#68: Solved: The Mystery of Gravity-Defying Sap
One synthetic tree accomplishes what loads of scientists never could.
#71: Slime Molds Show Surprising Degree of Intelligence
A creature with no brain can learn from and even anticipate events.
#73: Giant Ice Meteors Fall From Clear Skies
20-pound chunks of ice falling on a sunny day? It's no urban myth.
#75: Chilies' Fire Is Self-Defense Against a Surprising Foe
Capsaicin keeps fungus from chomping on pepper plants but does nothing to dissuade hungry bugs.
#76: Europe’s Oldest Hominid Makes Its Debut
Archaeologists in Spain uncover the remains of a 1.2-million-year-old human.#77: X-Rays Reveal Ship-Wreckage to Be 2,000-Year-Old Astronomy Computer
The Antikythera Mechanism tracked heavenly movements like clockwork.
#79: The Ancient Rat as Big as a Bull
This giant rodent weighed as much as a compact car.
#80: Invented: Self-Healing Rubber Made From Vegetable Oil and Pee Ingredient
Hydrogen bonds let ripped material re-form.
Bacteria Can Control the Weather
The tiny organisms may play a big role in causing precipitation.
#90: The Platypus Genome Is a Mash-Up of Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals
One animal, three completely different ancestors.
#94: Seaweed Creates Its Own Sunscreen
The soggy brown kelp protects itself with iodides.
#95: Organic Matter Found in Saturn's Mystery Moon
Icy Jets from the planet's sixth-largest moon contain primitive components of life.