Achieving a healthy weight could become more and more attainable as time goes on Merch Hub/Shutterstock The past few years have seen the emergence of highly effective drugs for treating obesity, and the hope is that the experimental treatments on trial in 2026 will prove to be even more effective. “We are witnessing an exciting…
Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 reactor under construction Daria Nagovitz/Valar Atomics Despite providing nearly a fifth of US electricity generation, nuclear power in the country has stagnated for decades. Regulatory hurdles, public scepticism and cheaper energy sources led to plant closures, moratoriums and a lack of funding for novel nuclear technologies. But spiking electricity demand –…
Not stopping on a run when you feel the urge helps practise self-control miljko/Getty Images Olivia Remes is a mental health and well-being researcher at the University of Cambridge, author of This Is How You Grow After Trauma and a life coach. Her research has covered everything from assessing the prevalence of poor mental health…
Steel made outside the European Union will be subject to a new import tariff Yusuf Aslan / Alamy Until now, countries lagging behind others in cutting carbon emissions haven’t faced any downsides apart from higher energy costs. All international climate agreements are effectively voluntary. But this is finally about to change. On 1 January, the…
You are holding your newborn in your arms and gazing into their beautiful eyes; you’re waiting in an airport for a family member to return from a year-long trip and suddenly see them walking towards you; or you are sitting in a sports stadium as your team holds its trophy after years of struggle. In each case, you feel a profound sense…
December 31, 2025 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm Cheers! Ring in the New Year with Glittering ‘Champagne Cluster’ Image A galaxy cluster discovered on New Year’s Eve in 2020 shines in a new image from NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory By Meghan Bartels edited by Claire Cameron X-ray: NASA/CXC/UCDavis/F. Bouhrik et al.; Optical:…
Quantum computers are well-matched to solve chemistry problems Marijan Murat/dpa/Alamy Whether quantum computers can actually solve practical problems is one of the biggest unanswered questions of this growing industry – and one that might be answered by researchers in industrial and medical chemistry in 2026. Calculating the structure, reactivity and other chemical properties of a…
Orcas are renowned hunters. Now, they have surprised scientists with an unexpected twist — possibly getting help from dolphins. In the waters off British Columbia, marine ecologist Sarah Fortune and her colleagues regularly spotted fish-eating killer whales (Orcinus orca) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens) swimming together. “We started to notice that the killer whales…
Supermassive black holes occasionally devour or merge with other black holes MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Three galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centres appear to be in the process of merging into a single, giant galaxy, a process that astronomers have rarely seen. To grow to such enormous sizes, astronomers think supermassive black holes…
Some of 2025’s scientific discoveries pushed the limits. Earth’s longest lightning and the first AI-generated genomes are among this year’s superlative achievements, along with black holes old and large. Here are the record-breaking findings that stretched scientific boundaries and captured our attention. Light up the sky The record-breaking lightning megaflash (illustrated) spanned about 829…
