The most popular news of the year included stories on the unusual grey matter of genius, the modus operandi of a dinosaur and the maths of prime numbers.

Snapshots explore Einstein's unusual brain

Photos reveal unique features of genius’s cerebral cortex.

16 November 2012

The mysterious case of the missing noble gas

Xenon has almost vanished from Earth's atmosphere. German geoscientists think they know where it went.

10 October 2012

How to eat a Triceratops

Tyrannosaurus tore the head off armoured prey to reach the tender neck meat.

24 October 2012

City birds use cigarette butts to smoke out parasites

 Lining nests with material from discarded cigarettes may help keep out parasitic mites.

5 December 2012

Mysterious radiation burst recorded in tree rings

Spike in carbon-14 levels indicates a massive cosmic event — but supernovae and solar flares ruled out.

3 June 2012

How to confuse a moral compass

Survey 'magic trick' causes attitude reversal.

19 September 2012

Artificial jellyfish built from rat cells

Reverse-engineered life form could be used to test drugs.

22 July 2012

New carnivorous harp sponge discovered in deep sea

Deep-diving remotely-operated vehicle spots the unusual invertebrate off the coast of California

9 November 2012

Dark matter’s tendrils revealed

Direct measurement of a dark-matter ‘filament’ confirms its existence in a galaxy supercluster.

4 July 2012

Proof claimed for deep connection between primes

If it is true, a solution to the abc conjecture about whole numbers would be an ‘astounding’ achievement.

10 September 2012