"A terrible earthquake, massive drought and nuclear power captured the imagination this year".

"As the year ends, the Science desk of The New York Times asked its reporters to choose the stories that were the most memorable. These are their selections, with a focus on space, climate change, biology and artificial intelligence."

"From climate accords to mining disasters and increased Indonesian haze to decreased Amazon deforestation, here is the year that was."

"Following the discovery in the UK of bacteria that resist the most common antibiotic of last resort, a leading British expert is warning it is “almost too late” to stop a global superbug crisis."

"Increasing amounts of water are being depleted from the world’s aquifers, and scientists have estimated that a large portion of the water ends up flowing into the oceans. So much groundwater is being pumped from wells that researchers say it is contributing significantly to global sea-level rise."

"Sally Garcia still doesn’t know what went wrong with her baby. When the tiny girl was born on May 25, 2012, she weighed 3 pounds, 6 ounces, measured 19 inches long — and was missing most of her brain and skull."

"The Indonesian government announced Monday it had acted against 23 companies that, officials said, were involved in burning forest and peatland in the country."

"Some of the world’s biggest temperature jumps are happening in lakes — suggesting that problems such as algae blooms and low-oxygen zones hazardous to fish will get worse, a new report says."

"Iranian hackers infiltrated the control system of a small dam less than 20 miles from New York City two years ago, sparking concerns that reached to the White House, according to former and current U.S. officials and experts familiar with the previously undisclosed incident."

"Biologists in the United States and Europe are developing a revolutionary genetic technique that promises to provide an unprecedented degree of control over insect-borne diseases and crop pests."