All Stories
- Space
These space stories made us look up in 2025
Space is always inspiring and 2025 was no exception, with finding Betelgeuse’s buddy, debuting a prolific survey telescope and more.
- Health & Medicine
Two more antibiotics have been approved in the U.S. to treat gonorrhea
The bacteria behind the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea is known for developing antibiotic resistance. Now there are two new treatment options.
- Animals
These are our favorite animal stories of 2025
From clever cockatoos to vomiting spiders, these cool critters captivated us this year.
- Earth
An underwater volcano off Oregon didn’t erupt in 2025 after all. Why not?
Data from Axial, the most-monitored underwater volcano, are helping geophysicists hone eruption predictions. For Axial, 2026 is their next bet.
- Life
Watch a cancer cell evade capture
By moving around, some cancer cells force attacking immune cells to just nibble at the edges rather than engulf them completely.
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Life in all of its complexity
Editor in Chief Nancy Shute talks about life’s complexities, from its evolution on Earth as a single cell to complex human behavior.
- Planetary Science
An asteroid could hit the moon in 2032, scattering debris toward Earth
Researchers are keeping an eye on the building-sized asteroid 2024 YR4, which has a 4 percent chance of hitting the moon seven years from now.
- Health & Medicine
He made beer that’s also a vaccine. Now controversy is brewing
An NIH scientist’s maverick approach reveals legal, ethical, moral, scientific and social challenges to developing potentially life-saving vaccines.
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Breaking Ground Crossword
Solve the crossword from our January 2026 issue, in which we take a crack at geological principles
- Astronomy
New Hubble images may solve the case of a disappearing exoplanet
A massive collision between two asteroid-sized bodies around a nearby star offers a rare look at the violent process of planetary construction.
- Health & Medicine
This newfound cascade of events may explain some female gut pain
Gut problems like irritable bowel syndrome are often worse in women. A mouse study reveals a pain pathway involving estrogen, gut cells and bacteria.
- Psychology
As gambling addiction spreads, one scientist’s work reveals timely insights
Psychiatrist Robert Custer spent his life convincing doctors that compulsive gambling was not an impulse control problem. Today, his research is foundational for diagnosis and treatment.
