The past year proved again why we're enthralled by the power and promise of science (plus, we love the stuff). Scientists brought us face-to-face with our ancient past, and forecasted a tantalizing future; they challenged our assumptions and fertilized our imaginations; they made discoveries on every scale, from the sub-atomic to the intergalactic. This year, developing countries and continents turned to science to grow, and rectify their problems, while the wealthiest and most powerful nation turned away, compounding its own; major theories were disputed, others were bolstered and one was scrapped entirely. And of course, there were the penguins. In the following stories, we survey our global science culture for the ISSUES, IDEAS and ICONS that most captivated us in 2005.
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