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From the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant to the end of NASA"s shuttle program, a great deal of science stories made headlines this year. Science writers Mariette DiChristina, Matt Crenson, Steven Levy, and Paul Raeburn join Ira Flatow to discuss the year's top stories in science.

On New Year's Eve, don't open the front door in Denmark, look out for falling furniture in Italy and chew lightly when eating black-eyed peas in the South of the U.S.

For poor families in the Philippines, electrical bills are a huge burden. But an old soda bottle, filled with water and bleach, can be turned into a 55-watt bulb with the help of the tropical sun.

Edouard Vuillard was not as widely known as the Impressionist masters, but he created more than 3,000 paintings between the late 1800s and his death a half-century later. NPR's Susan Stamberg tours the most comprehensive exhibition of the French artist's works, premiering at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Using Google Earth, military blog posts and open-source documents, Georgetown University professor Phillip Karber and a team of students have uncovered new information about the tunnel complex China uses to hide and transport its nuclear missiles. The team's conclusions have stirred heated debate within the intelligence and arms control communities.

Also: Survivors recall horror of flooding in the Philippines; authorities stage a dawn raid on protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square; Gingrich and Romney are tied in a new poll of Republican voters.

Kim Jong Il's son, the heir apparent, has little experience or preparation to lead. Analysts say that means he won't be in a position to get back to nuclear disarmament talks and make concessions. He also may be tempted to take provocative actions to establish his leadership credentials.

Also in the news: World pays tribute to Vaclav Havel; WikiLeaks hearing continues; oil rig collapses off Russia's Far East coast.

Jacques Chirac was found guilty of misusing public funds while he was the mayor of Paris. The court said Chirac was the mastermind behind a system that paid political allies for municipal jobs they never did.

A turning point in World War II came in June 1942, when the U.S. surprised and defeated the Japanese in the Battle of Midway. That victory was possible, in large part, because of the work of a little-known naval codebreaker named Joe Rochefort. Elliot Carlson tells his story in Joe Rochefort's War.