The votes have finally been tallied, after voting on many websites took place in early 2010.  The top science, technology, research and health stories of 2009 (and the decade, see below) have been posted online.  Here is a roundup of some of the best lists, and the best science stories from 2009:

 Best Science News 2009:

Many news sources posted their top ten science stories of 2009.  Some of the items that appeared again and again are:

 - Active brown fat discovered in adult humans.  Previously, it was thought that only babies and other mammals had depots of active brown fat, the type of fat that dissipates energy in the form of heat, instead of storing energy in the form of triglycerides like our better-known white fat.  This finding has potentially beneficial implications for treating human metabolic disorders.

 -  Discovery of a human ancestor older than Lucy (this was dubbed the breakthrough of the year by Science magazine)

Read more and watch a video on this story here:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/326/5960/1598-a

- The AIDS vaccine trial in Thailand, the largest of its kind so far, yielded disappointing negative results but nonetheless points the way for better AIDS vaccines to come.

- Eco-friendly packaging (ie: made of biodegradable products)

- Epigenetics is now appreciated as that added layer of complexity over our inherited genes (of which we now know the entire human genomic sequence).  Epigenetic traits, modifications to our genome outside of our DNA code, can be passed on through generations and have been linked to many diseases including obesity and memory disorders.

- Water is discovered on the moon

Links to lists of top science news stories of 2009:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944376_1944410,00.html

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=top-10-science-stories-2009

http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/3174/top-news-stories-2009

http://www.popsci.com/bown/2009

TOP Science Blogs of 2009:

Many websites poll blog readers to discover the best and most popular Blogs on the web, and often these lists include categories devoted to science, technology or health.  Here are some of the best from the 2009 votes:

- Science Based Medicine (often featuring posts by OS's Amy Tuteur):

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/

- Neuroskeptic: http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.com/

-  What's Up With That? http://wattsupwiththat.com/

-  Life Hacker: http://lifehacker.com/

Websites with blog awards:

http://www.researchblogging.org/static/index/page/awards

http://2009.weblogawards.org/nominations/best-science-blog/

http://2009.bloggies.com/

http://bloggerschoiceawards.com/categories/6

Blogs and News Stories/Research Findings are just some of the areas noted as 'best of 2009'.  Below, find links to lists for the best science pictures, best science videos, and best science books of 2009:

 Best Science Pictures:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/photogalleries/100218-best-science-pictures/#fibers-and-plastic-ball_025894_600x450.jpg

This list includes this fascinating photograph of a self-fertilizing flower:

Best Science Videos:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/08/visualizations/

Best Science Books:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&plgroup=1&docId=1000446551

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2009/12/the-best-books-of-2009.php

http://scienceblogs.com/confessions/2009/11/best_science_books_2009_the_gl.php

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/sep/08/royal-society-science-book-review

I would recommend these science books from 2009:

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre - a humorous take on pseudoscience

The Well-Dressed Ape: A Natural History of Myself by Hannah Holmes

 Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis by Alanna Mitchell

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science By Richard  Holmes

 Best of the Decade 2000-2009:

 And while the end of 2009 brought lists of the best science in the previous 12 months, it also brought lists of the best breakthroughs or scientific findings of the decade, 2000-2009.  Below are links to several well-collated lists for the best science of the 'naughtie' decade.  Some of the high points (and items that made several lists) include:

- advances in Stem Cell research

- the sequencing of the human genome, and the medical advancements made possibly by this acheivement

- the launching of the Large Haldon Collider (see also my Aliquot post about this: http://open.salon.com/blog/aliquot/2009/12/09/the_most_magical_scientific_experiment_of_our_time )

- Evidence of water on Mars and the moon (other space science findings made many lists, including the discovery of a potential 10th planet in our solar system)

- Exposure of the risks with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

- Climate Change Research

- Advancements in the study of human ancestry, including the discovery of Ardi, a hominim older than Lucy

 - The theory of evolution's victory over intelligent design in the courts

Best of the decade lists:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8435246.stm

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/12/18/2156624.aspx

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/science/2009/12/01/a-decade-of-great-moments-in-science/

http://www.physorg.com/news182448680.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Decade/genome-hormones-top-10-medical-advances-decade/story?id=9356853