[related]As you prepare to celebrate the new year, enjoy these 10 most popular stories from 2014.
1. BIGGER THAN T. REX, THIS DINOSAUR HUNTED IN WATER
U. CHICAGO ─ The first known semiaquatic dinosaur had giant thighs, blade-like claws, interlocking teeth, and other “alien” features.
2. GOOGLE IS RIGHT: WE WORK BETTER WHEN WE’RE HAPPY
U. WARWICK ─ New research confirms what Google already knows—greater employee happiness results in higher productivity without sacrificing quality.
3. THIS SMARTPHONE CASE IS 3X HARDER THAN STEEL
YALE ─ Smartphone cases made out of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are 50 times stronger than plastic, 3 times stronger than steel, lightweight, and thin.
4. THIS FUNGUS TURNS ANTS INTO ‘ZOMBIES’
PENN STATE ─ A parasitic fungus manipulates its ant victims to die in the vicinity of their colony, ensuring a constant supply of new hosts.
5. TINY HELICOPTERS CAN’T OUT-HOVER HUMMINGBIRDS
STANFORD ─ Even the most sophisticated microcopter available can’t hover as efficiently as some hummingbirds.
6. EBOLA OUTBREAK LIKELY STARTED AT A FUNERAL
TULANE ─ The current Ebola outbreak sweeping through West Africa likely began at the funeral of a healer in Sierra Leone.
7. BIG OR SMALL, ANIMALS TAKE 20 SECONDS TO PEE
GEORGIA TECH ─ Animals—from cats to elephants—need the same amount of time to urinate, according to new research that could help engineers.
8. LIGHT SKIN MUTATION STEMS FROM ONE ANCESTOR
PENN STATE ─ All instances of a gene mutation that contributes to light skin color in Europeans came from the same chromosome of one person, report researchers.
9.LASERS SHOW HOW SEA MONKEYS MIX OCEANS
CALTECH ─ Collectively, “Sea Monkeys” and other tiny creatures could add as much as a trillion watts of power to the oceans to drive global circulation.
10. THERE’S ZERO CHANCE YOU’LL BE EATEN BY A MEGALODON
U. FLORIDA ─ Scientists are officially debunking the myth that megalodon sharks still exist.
