The worlds of Entertainment, Finance, Gaming and Politics seem to have a new "Top Ten" list of their hot, young up-and-comers just about every other week. With the planet falling apart and technology our best hope for reversing the trend, it's refreshing to see a "Top Ten" list of the Science world. Here then, without further ado, are the top ten stars of research science:

NAME: Sara Seager
FIELD: Astrophysics
CONTRIBUTION: Aiding the discovery of Earth-like planets outside the solar system by studying the appearance of Earth from similar distances

NAME: Erich Jarvis
FIELD: Animal Linguistics
CONTRIBUTION: Research suggesting that vertebrate animals other than primates have innate language ability.

NAME: Luis von Ahn
FIELD: Cybernetics
CONTRIBUTION: Harnessing the power of the human brain in cataloging Internet images

NAME: Nima Arkani-Hamed
FIELD: Theoretical Physics
CONTRIBUTION: The theory that gravity is escaping our own universe into two other dimensions, indicating the existence of multiple universes inside a "multiverse"

NAME: Jerry Goldstein
FIELD: Planetary Science
CONTRIBUTION: Use of satellite imagery to demonstrate the volatility of the Earth's magnetic field and its effect on satellites, spacecraft and GPS receivers

NAME: Melody Swartz
FIELD: Bioengineering
CONTRIBUTION: Evidence that the flow of intercellular fluid may be harnessed to regrow and regenerate organs

NAME: David Thompson
FIELD: Climatology
CONTRIBUTION: Discovery of how "Arctic Oscillation" effects weather patterns in the northern third of the planet

NAME: Kelly Dorgan
FIELD: Zoology
CONTRIBUTION: Study of how the burrowing patterns of earthworms affect coastal ecosystems

NAME: Omar Yaghi
FIELD: Materials Science
CONTRIBUTION: The use of "molecular building blocks" in increase the density of gas - a step forward toward building a practical hydrogen-fueled engine

NAME: Terry Tao
FIELD: Mathematics
CONTRIBUTION: Discovery of a pattern among prime numbers (this has been the Holy Grail among mathematicians for centuries)