2025 in Science
5 of the best innovations; 5 of the biggest epic fails
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As we near 2026, it’s worth taking a look at 2025 in science. Science suffered a few major shocks, both political and in terms of dawning awareness that innovation and rigor seems to have fallen off since the 20th century. But here’s a look at 5 of the biggest positive findings in science as well as 5 of the biggest setbacks.
5 Biggest Boons
1) Black hole astronomy. The astronomy of black holes continues to amaze. Granted this isn’t a single finding, but a group of them, but our understanding of these awesome space phenomena continue to surprise. In 2025, astronomers found the oldest and biggest black hole yet discovered, examined not only how black holes devour but also eject energy back into space, and learned more about Sagittarius A*, the black hole that sits at the center of our galaxy. Astronomy remains something of a shining light (get it?) during some dark times for science.
2) AI is getting more reliable as a research tool. Considerable error in science is due to simple human miscalculations and miscoding. Increasingly, AI is proving it’s worth as an assistant to human scientists, particularly for complicated but dull tasks where error is most likely. Mark this as promising not “there yet”, and I’m not an AI utopian who thinks this will ever replace human scientists developing interesting hypotheses and engaged in critical reasoning of data. But if AI can cut down on basic error in the same way that automated cars may reduce accidents due to human error, this would be a good thing.
3) Are Weight-Loss Pills a Miracle Drug? GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to be very effective in helping people reduce weight. More evidence suggest they may help a range of other conditions as well, ranging from addictions to dementia. I’m generally wary of miracle cure claims and we’ve seen cases before (antidepressants for one) where early claims of massive success crumbled over time or where major side effects emerged in long-term studies (as happened with other weight loss drugs). But if the hype proves to be true, these drugs may be a major innovation.
4) Pigs to the Rescue! This year an ailing man in his 70s with a cancerous liver survived for 171 days on a transplanted, genetically modified pig liver. This is definitely proof-in-concept…171 days isn’t a ton, and early hype in artificial hearts didn’t produce long-lasting revolutions in heart care. But the potential to replace failing organs with genetically modified animal ones would be big.
5) Renewables Overtake Coal in Energy Production. During 2025, renewable sources of energy overtook coal for the first time. This is great news. Much of this was led by China, so hopefully the US and EU will catch up soon.
And now on to 2025’s 5 most epic fails in science, technology and medicine.
