That dancer out front is actually a robot named HRP-4C, created by Japan's Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. HRP-4C and her steel legs of doom held their own during a choreographed dance early this year. YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images
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Every issue of Popular Science begins with two amazing, full-page images in a section called Megapixels. Here we have assembled all of those beautiful images from this year’s issues and supplemented them with much, much more. Together, they tell a vivid story of the impressive year that was in science and tech. Launch the gallery below, and enjoy our favorite pictures of the year, all in one place:
Click to launch our favorite science, technology, and general PopSci weirdness of the year
These pictures cover the year that was 2010 in the way we’ll remember it: from disasters like the Gulf oil spill and the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull to incredible achievements like the construction of the world’s longest underground tunnel; from medical improvements like spray-on stem cells to discoveries like NASA’s new arsenic-loving bacteria; and, not least, utter silliness like a six-wheeled sports car or an endless variety of lovable robots. It’s amazing to see it all in one place–the good, the bad, the ugly, the tube-nosed fruit bat–and we think you’ll enjoy it as much as we do.
Dietmar NillKim Kyung-HoonLuke JerramAnindito MukherjeeReinhard KrausePiotr Naskrecki/iLCPCERN/ATLASCourtesy ESAvia Irish TimesDamian BrunnerEshel Ben-JacobKim Kyung-HoonNASAEdith WidderNASARoberto PfeilCourtesy Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte/ Salk Institute for Biological StudiesNasser NasserNASAC. CarrCourtesy David Siveter, Derek Briggs, Derek Siveter, Mark SuttonJason AminiChristian CharisiusAndy Adamatzky and Jeff JonesCourtesy Petter QuickGemunu AmarasingheJohn MahoneyHALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty ImagesDave MartinCourtesy Dr. Saw-Wai Hla and Kendal ClarkGetty ImagesManuel Balce CenetaKristin Johnson/Donald Ingber/Benjamin Matthews/Martin Montoya/Dongeun Huh/Akiko Mamoto/Hong Yuan HsinDavid HiggenbothamDavid ShaleJianping FuCourtesy Anatoly Maksimchuk, Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of MichiganHow Hwee YoungCERN/ALICEPhoto courtesy of Avita MedicalJohn Giles – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesCourtesy Science/AAASCoviniBowling DigitalStaff Sgt. Stacy L. PearsallNick Ballon via Super K Sonic BoooooumNASA, ESA, J. Anderson and R. van der Marel (STScI)Photo courtesy of NASA/JPLNASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterSakakibara-KikaiNASA Earth ObservatoryJonas KingCreative Commons: Cooper.chWikipediaESAESO/M.-R. Cioni/VISTA Magellanic Cloud survey. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey UnitInside InsidesCourtesy U.S. Navy/Chief Mass Communication Specialist Joe KaneCourtesy Northrop GrummanNASA/SDOJohn MahoneyCourtesy NASAThomas Kunz, Boston UniversityJAXAIBMPvia Pink TentacleUniversity of California at BerkeleyGoogle/GeoEyeNASASTR/AFP/Getty ImagesBEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
2025 PopSci Outdoor Gift Guide
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