Whose minds shined brightest, with the most impact, in the past year? The Daily Beast, aided by a panel of two-dozen MacArthur “genius” fellows, unveils the 20 smartest people of 2010.
Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo,Carolyn Kaster
1, Jon Stewart
Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo
2, Bill and Melinda Gates
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3, Steve Jobs
AP Photo
4, Mark Zuckerberg
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5, J. Craig Venter
Matt Houston / AP Photo
6, Julian Assange
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7, Perry Chen, Yancey Strickler, Charles Adler
8, Felisa Wolfe-Simon
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9, Michelle Rhee
Kevin Dietsch, UPI / Landov
10, Aaron Sorkin
Evan Agostini / AP Photo
11, Sebastian Thrun
Vaughn Youtz, Zuma / Newscom
12, Sheri Fink
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13, Elon Musk
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14, Kanye West
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15, Christopher Hitchens
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