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Ira Flatow and a panel of science writers and editors discuss the top science stories of 2009, from the discovery of water on the moon to the unveiling of human ancestor Ardipithecus ramidus to public health controversies like the new mammography guidelines and the swine flu vaccine.

Employers seem to be focused on eliminating jobs. Some of the latest cuts announced Wednesday involve Delta Airlines, which said it expects to lose about 2,000 workers this month through an early retirement program. Motorola, which makes mobile phones, said it will lay off 4,000 workers this year. That's on top of the 3,000 job cuts announced earlier. Also, upscale department store Neiman Marcus said it's cutting 375 positions.

French investors lost an estimated $700 million in funds tied to Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. France's top market watchdog pushed the giant Swiss bank UBS to reimburse investors for their losses. UBS acted as a "custodian bank" to those funds. In a statement, UBS said investors and their advisors knew their money was being placed with Madoff, so it's not responsible for the losses.

A sewage treatment plant in Japan has turned out to be a gold mine — literally. Officials say they've retrieved nearly 2 kilograms of gold per metric ton of ash from the sludge they incinerate. That's almost 50 times what miners find in Japan's Hishikari Mine — one of the world's top gold mines. Plant officials believe they're getting so much gold because of manufacturers in the area that use the precious metal in making precision instruments.

"Afghan Model" is the name of a new television modeling competition in Afghanistan. Shows such as "America's Next Top Model" are popular all over the world. But in a country where many women are still covered in burqas, this competition is unusual. Since the show was announced a week ago, 2,000 men and women have applied.

Janesville is a small market that benefits from cross-ownership but could be excluded from new relaxed rules. One of the issues that got FCC Chairman Kevin Martin into hot water last year was his decision to allow single companies in the nation's top 20 markets to own both a newspaper and a TV or radio station in the same market.

A top General Motors executive said if European governments don't pony up some aid, the company's European divisions could run out of cash. In addition, hundreds of thousands jobs could be at risk. GM has asked German state officials for billions in bailout funds. GM also has held talks with government in Britain, Spain and Poland.

The Justice Department says Jose Padilla, accused of plotting to detonate a bomb containing radioactive material, had conspired with top al Qaeda leaders in his plan. Padilla, a U.S. citizen, has been designated an enemy combatant and held without charge or access to counsel for two years. Officials say he planned to detonate explosives, possibly to destroy apartment buildings in U.S. cities. NPR's Larry Abramson reports.

Every three years, the world's top bakers round up their best recipes and their rolling pins and head to Paris for an Olympic-style competition. U.S. team members offer insights on their preparation.

General Motors has made an unexpectedly strong showing at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The company made headlines with its electric concept car. And the show's top awards went to the Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Silverado.