The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2025, From Me...

What’s Happening

Alright so All year long, these moments captivated the public, demonstrated dangerous trends, and pushed research and innovation forward The Ten Most Significant Science Stories of 2025, From Medical Breakthroughs to an Interstellar Visitor All year long, these moments captivated the public, demonstrated dangerous trends, and pushed research and innovation forward Carlyn Kranking , McKenzie Prillaman and Marta Hill 12:56 p.

In 2025, researchers watched an interstellar comet, learned about human origins and traced the spread of measles. , Cell , 2025; Galyna / fotomaster via Adobe Stock; and public domain Every December, Smithsonian magazine’s science team picks which stories were the year’s most significant. (shocking, we know)

We look for a broad set of topics that captured the public’s imagination or that fit in with trends that will affect us far into the future—and overall shape how we remember the year.

The Details

And when people look back on 2025, the stories below will loom large—but the year will also stand out as one that brought new challenges for scientists across disciplines. Researchers saw cuts in federal funding to universities , including the termination or freezing of more than 3,800 grants awarded Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health.

A New York Times investigation reported increased competition among scientists for the limited grants that were available. NASA , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , and the Environmental Protection Agency , among other agencies, also saw cuts to staff and budgets.

Why This Matters

These policies represented a departure from how science was funded since World War II, as Laura Dattaro reports for Chemical & Engineering News . “I personally know many scientists in my field leaving the United States altogether,” Kevin Johnson, a former program director at the NSF’s geosciences directorate, told the New York Times . Scientific discoveries this year demonstrated the importance of continuing to examine the world that surrounds us, from cosmic objects to the human body to prehistoric remains.

The scientific community tends to find developments like this significant.

The Bottom Line

Scientific discoveries this year demonstrated the importance of continuing to examine the world that surrounds us, from cosmic objects to the human body to prehistoric remains.

What’s your take on this whole situation?