Dark heart: As featured in one of our top stories of 2009, an artist's impression showing a supermassive black hole at the centre of a galaxy.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
SYDNEY: From molecules which have changed the world to cannibalistic supermassive black holes, these are the stories that you couldn't get enough of in 2009.
DEATH STARS
First detected by spy satellites, then reported as evidence of alien warfare and now held responsible for a mass extinction on Earth. What exactly are gamma-ray bursts?
17 MOLECULES THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
All molecules are not created equal. Some have saved billions of lives, wreaked environmental havoc or made the world a more colourful place. Here's our selection of those that have changed the course of human history.
10 WONDERS TO VISIT BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR
As global warming sets in, some of the world's wonders may not wait around for you to experience them. Here are the top 10 places you need to visit before the climate changes.
A BRIEF GUIDE TO COSMOLOGY
Confused by inflation and the CMB? Perplexed by dark energy and dark matter? Want to know what happened after the Big Bang? Then read on to learn how it all fits together.
DOOMSDAY: FIVE CATASTROPHES THAT COULD WIPE OUT CIVILISATION
Modern civilisation may be the most advanced in history – but it could still be toppled by calamity like so many before. Here are some of the more likely dangers that might take us to the brink – or beyond.
BLACK HARVEST: THE BATTLE AGAINST WHEAT RUST
A global scourge is spreading that could devastate food supplies. To fix the crisis comes Norman Borlaug, the man who saved the world before ... and needs to again.
GENETIC TESTING: DO YOUR REALLY WANT TO KNOW
An individual's genetic code is becoming an open book thanks to kits that scan for genes linked to traits and diseases, from cancer and baldness to infertility and memory loss.
ARE WE ALONE?
There could be more than 200 extraterrestrial civilisations humming away in our galaxy right now. Cosmos wonders where they are.
DAWN OF THE ROBOTS
They're already here – driving cars, vacuuming carpets and feeding hospital patients. They may not be walking, talking, human-like sentient beings, but they sure are clever… and a little creepy.
COSMIC CANNIBALS: THE HUNT FOR SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES
In the chaotic core of our Milky Way galaxy hides a ravenous cauldron of annihilation: a supermassive black hole. We follow astronomers on the hunt for new insights into these mysterious objects.
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