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2010 Review of the Year

The Deepwater Horizon went up in flames in the Gulf of Mexico and a US court unexpectedly suspended all federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research. Meanwhile, the J. Craig Venter Institute in Rockville, Maryland, unveiled a 'synthetic cell' and reports of arsenic-based life sparked controversy. Nature looks back at a dramatic year in science.

Image Credit : R. Th. Sigurdsson/Arctic-Images.com

Newsmaker of the year

Jane Lubchenco, head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was thrust into the media spotlight when the Deepwater Horizon rig started gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico. A celebrated biologist and conservationist, Lubchenco was responsible for tracking the oil, communicating scientific findings, helping to oversee the cleanup, and protecting consumers and the fishing industry during the biggest environmental crisis in the nation's history. For the central role she played in responding to the spill, Nature has named Lubchenco Newsmaker of the Year.

PROFILE: Jane Lubchenco

She set out to revolutionize US ocean management - but first she faced the oil spill. Jane Lubchenco is Nature's Newsmaker of the Year.

Nature ( )

EDITORIAL: Calm in a crisis

Nature is pleased to name Jane Lubchenco, head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as its Newsmaker of the Year.

Nature ( )

That was 2010

Research picks of the year

  • Method of the year

    With the capacity to control cellular behaviours using light and genetically encoded light-sensitive proteins, optogenetics has opened new doors for experimentation across biological fields.

    Nature Methods ( )

  • Video: Optogenetics

    See how scientists can control the behaviour of cells using flashes of light.

    Nature Methods ( )