Predator X: As seen in one of the most popular news stories of 2009, this 45-ton pliosaur crushed its prey with 30-centimetre-long teeth.
Credit: Atlantic Productions
SYDNEY: From T. rex sized sea monsters to the risk of Africa splitting in two - here are the most read news stories of 2009.
KILOMETRE-HIGH WAVES FLOW IN SATURN'S RINGS
NASA's Cassini probe has uncovered for the first time towering vertical structures in Saturn's seemingly flat rings that are due to the gravitational effects of a small moon.
VOLCANIC ACTIVITY COULD SPLIT AFRICA
Volcanic activity may split the African continent in two, creating a new ocean, say experts. This is due to a recent geological crack which has appeared in northeastern Ethiopia.
SPRAY-ON SOLAR PANELS DEVELOPED
Taking a leaf from the beauty industry, scientists have devised a way to make solar panels cheaper and more efficient - by spraying them on.
ONE-FIFTH OF US HAVE LOST SIGHT OF MILKY WAY
Light pollution has caused one-fifth of the world's population – mostly in mainland Europe, Britain and the U.S. – to lose their ability to see the Milky Way in the night sky.
NEW CLUE THAT AUTUMN LEAF COLOURS ARE DEFENSIVE WEAPON
A 2,000-year-old experiment has provided new evidence for the idea that the brilliant autumn colours of leaves in cold climates are a defence against insect pests.
DINOSAUR POSTURE STILL WRONG, SAYS STUDY
The current depiction of the way giant sauropod dinosaurs held their necks is probably wrong, says a new study.
PREDATOR-X: MONSTER OF THE DEEP
A fossil of a marine predator the size of a Tyrannosaurus rex and dubbed 'predator X' has been unearthed at Svalbard in Norway.
CAPTURED COMET BECOMES MOON OF JUPITER
Jupiter’s gravity captured a comet in the mid-20th century, holding it in orbit as a temporary moon for 12 years.
EARTH UNDER THREAT FROM DARK COMETS
Comets could be the most significant impact hazard to Earth, with sky surveys underestimating the number that are potentially devastating by a factor of between 10 and 100, British astrophysicists say.
MILKY WAY FASTER AND HEAVIER THAN THOUGHT
The Milky Way is spinning much faster and has 50 per cent more mass than previously believed, increasing the chance of a collision with another galaxy, say astronomers.
Follow Cosmos on Twitter! twitter.com/cosmosmagazine
