From the Curiosity rover’s landing on Mars, to Felix Baumgartner's daredevil jump from the edge of space and the discovery of the so-called "God particle," it's been a big year for science.
Space dominated headlines throughout the year, with fascinating discoveries of mystery planets and new insights into those already known to us. The environment also featured large in 2012, with shocking stories about melting ice and shrinking glaciers that fueled environmentalists' calls for change.
But there were also quirky stories, like the Canadian dinosaur fossil discovered after years packed away in storage or James Cameron's solo journey to the bottom of the ocean.
Here, we present 10 of the biggest, most compelling science stories of the year. Take a look:
