Science

Latest Science News

📅December 25, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Major 2025 science developments: JWST discoveries, gene‑editing clinical advances, renewable surge, SPHEREx sky map, interstellar visitor studies, and medical breakthroughs.
1

James Webb Space Telescope keeps finding early-universe surprises

JWST revealed rapidly growing supermassive black holes and unusual distant galaxies, including a voracious black hole in CANUCS-LRD-z8.6 and a runaway 10-million-solar-mass black hole, reshaping views of early galaxy/black-hole growthSource 3.

2

Most distant galaxies show unexpected oxygen and composition

Observations in 2025 identified oxygen in JADES-GS-z14-0 and reported exoplanet- and galaxy-atmospheric discoveries using JWST, indicating early chemical enrichment in the infant universeSource 1.

3

SPHEREx completes first infrared all-sky map in 102 colors

NASA's SPHEREx mission produced a full-sky infrared spectral map across 102 bands between May and December 2025, enabling new studies of the cosmos and cosmic icesSource 9.

4

Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS observed and searched for technosignatures

3I/ATLAS made a close pass to Earth in December 2025; Breakthrough Listen and other teams used large radio telescopes to search for technosignatures while spectroscopic studies probed its cometary compositionSource 6Source 7.

5

Renewable energy surpasses coal as largest global electricity source

Nature reported that renewables overtook coal for the first time in 2025, driven by rapid solar and wind deployment, even as global greenhouse gas emissions remained highSource 5.

6

CRISPR and gene therapies deliver major clinical progress

2025 saw multiple gene‑editing and gene‑therapy advances: a personalised CRISPR therapy case, trials slowing Huntington’s disease, and a CRISPR ANGPTL3 therapy reducing LDL in humans, marking therapeutic milestonesSource 5Source 1.

7

Antimatter production boosted at CERN’s ALPHA experiment

ALPHA reported an eightfold increase in antimatter (antihydrogen) production by sympathetically cooling positrons with laser-cooled ions, enabling creation of over 15,000 antihydrogen atoms in under seven hoursSource 1.

8

Fastest modern glacier retreat recorded at Hektoria Glacier

Researchers reported that Hektoria Glacier in Antarctica lost nearly half its mass in two months, representing the fastest observed modern glacier retreat and highlighting acute ice‑sheet instabilitySource 1.

9

First complete synthesis of verticillin A—promising anticancer compound

MIT chemists reported the first full laboratory synthesis of verticillin A, a fungal natural product with long-standing interest as an anticancer agent, opening paths for drug developmentSource 1.

10

New microscopy method reveals influenza invasion at molecular detail

ETH Zurich demonstrated ViViD-AFM (virus-view dual confocal and AFM), combining atomic force and fluorescence microscopy to visualize influenza entry into human cells at unprecedented resolutionSource 1.

11

Lung blood‑vessel growth method could treat bronchopulmonary dysplasia

A study published in Cell Stem Cell described a technique to stimulate pulmonary capillary growth in newborn lungs by restoring protein balances, offering a potential new therapy for BPD and other pediatric lung diseasesSource 8.

12

Bennu samples confirm amino acids on asteroid

Analyses of OSIRIS‑REx samples from asteroid Bennu confirmed presence of tryptophan, reinforcing evidence that asteroids carry organic molecules relevant to prebiotic chemistrySource 1.

13

Ozone hole continues to shrink and threatened species show recovery signs

Nature’s year review noted the Antarctic ozone hole reached its smallest size since 2019 and reported early recovery signals for some threatened species, reflecting conservation and policy impactsSource 5.

14

Record‑breaking DNA sequencing and genetics breakthroughs

2025 produced advances in sequencing throughput and genetics—record DNA sequencing tech that can transform newborn care and multiple high‑impact genetics stories across medicineSource 12.

15

Fusion energy and quantum computing make headline tech gains

Reports in 2025 highlighted progress toward sustained net‑positive fusion experiments and strides in quantum computing hardware (e.g., error‑reduction and larger qubit systems) as notable technological milestonesSource 11Source 2.