From computer-generated viruses to understanding the hallmarks of humanity, presented here are Live Science’s most insightful health narratives of the year.(Image credit: Getty Images)ShareShare by:
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Innovative therapies; enigmas of essential biology; consequences of health policy changes. Live Science delved into all these subjects and others in 2025 — and you are invited to review some of our top Health section extended features from the year below. This roster encompasses interviews, book passages, and news assessments, along with entries from our Science Spotlight segment, showcasing how science is reshaping the world we recognize.
1. Secrets of the world’s oldest woman
The supercentenarian Maria Branyas Morera during her 117th natal day on March 4, 2024.
Maria Branyas Morera, formerly recognized as the world’s most senior individual, passed away in 2024 at the advanced age of 117. Live Science thoroughly reviewed a study analyzing Branyas’s physiological makeup, revealing significant attributes that might have shielded her from ailments at an advanced age. Can the findings from this examination assist others in achieving more extended and robust existences?
2. What makes us human?
Many view the brain as an essential component of our humanity — but how did this notable organ come to be? In a dialogue, science communicator Jim Al-Khalili talked over his knowledge obtained from filming the recent BBC program “Horizon: Secrets of the Brain,” which recounts the evolutionary journey of the human brain. Furthermore, in a book excerpt and an interview with Live Science, neuroscientist Nikolay Kukushkin detailed the evolutionary pressures he presumes were pivotal to the shaping of the human brain and the state of awareness we presently experience.
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Disquiet at the CDC, NASA’s unveiling of comet 3I/ATLAS imagery, and the insect extinction.
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Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall passes away, Iran is experiencing rapid subsidence, and researchers produce human egg cells from dermal cells
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Astronomers are approaching the origins of comet 3I/ATLAS, an unusual gravitational irregularity spotted off Africa, and the generation of completely new viruses via AI
3. Could lab-grown brains gain consciousness?
Simplified human brain facsimiles can be cultivated from stem cells in laboratory settings, and these models are advancing consistently. Some scientists have expressed apprehensions that these “minibrains” may develop awareness and perceive pain. We examined the experts’ worries and expectations for forthcoming guidelines concerning the research.
4. The promise of mRNA medicine
mRNA may be principally acknowledged as the groundwork for initial COVID-19 inoculations, yet it could also find use in groundbreaking cancer therapies, immune-reprogramming protocols, and gene therapies. The potential of these innovative mRNA medicinal solutions is remarkable, yet due to the politicalization of COVID-19 vaccines within the U.S., mRNA research and development — even when not vaccine-related — now occupies a position of instability. A Science Spotlight article elucidated developing mRNA technologies and their precarious situation under the second Trump government.
5. Cancer in young people
Specific forms of malignancy, including breast and colorectal cancers, are emerging as more typical in individuals under the age of 50. A confluence of elements could be contributory.
It’s possibly been noted that an increasing number of younger people are receiving cancer diagnoses. Yet, which forms of malignancy are fueling this pattern? Also, why are the incidence rates growing originally? We scrutinized possible motivators behind this development, from fundamental cancer triggers to enhanced methods for premature identification.
6. Male vs female brains
Does a legitimate divergence occur between male and female cerebrums? And do we actually possess the necessary data to resolve such inquiry? A Science Spotlight delved into the current investigations on gender distinctions within the brain, indicating less definite outcomes than anticipated. Headlines routinely assert that male and female brains are “structured in dissimilar ways,” and certain minor variations might be credible. Nevertheless, the biological effects stemming from such divergences remain ambiguous, even to specialists in the field.
7. AI is designing viruses
Artificial intelligence is now capable of fabricating entirely novel viruses. Experts aspire to utilize these viruses for beneficial purposes — for example, in the treatment of bacterial contagions resistant to drugs. But, could such technology also usher in the advent of advanced bioweapons? An analysis inquired into this ambiguous dilemma and contemplated proactive strategies to safeguard our biosecurity.
8. When pandemics are a “certainty,” how do we prepare?
In an excerpt from a published work, epidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley elucidated his collaborative role with other prominent healthcare figures in coordinating an extensive vaccine distribution effort aimed towards underprivileged nations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring these inoculations were not solely acquired by affluent nations. Live Science correspondingly engaged with Berkley about the understandings extracted from the pandemic and the persistent struggle for vaccine equality.
9. USAID cuts
HIV medications must be used consistently to suppress the virus. Major cuts to HIV funding have threatened people’s access to the medicines.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), formerly considered the most prominent global foreign aid agency, suffered significant funding reductions during the second Trump presidency. Reportedly, certain functions persist under the oversight of the Department of State. We examined the foreseen and detrimental repercussions that the dissolution of USAID will probably impose upon HIV care at a global scale. Correspondingly, in dialogue with author John Green, who released a publication addressing tuberculosis (TB) this year, we studied the prospective ramifications of the cuts upon TB patients.
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Disquiet at the CDC, NASA’s unveiling of comet 3I/ATLAS imagery, and the insect extinction.
-
Renowned primatologist Jane Goodall passes away, Iran is experiencing rapid subsidence, and researchers produce human egg cells from dermal cells
-
Astronomers are approaching the origins of comet 3I/ATLAS, an unusual gravitational irregularity spotted off Africa, and the generation of completely new viruses via AI
10. Microplastics on the brain
A study became widely circulated, implying the prospect of a similar quantity of plastic being in human cerebrums, in comparison to that found in a regular plastic utensil. But should this honestly concern us? Our assessment elucidated the recognized and obscure facets of microplastics within the brain.
11. Dodging early Alzheimer’s disease
A male bearing the genetic certainty of contracting early Alzheimer’s is presently in his 70s, still symptom-free. We detailed the particulars of this person’s circumstances, scrutinizing his genetic profile and the encompassing teachings these insights could confer to scientists regarding dementia.
12. Mental health after weight-loss surgery
Procedures to reduce weight commonly correlate to mental health betterment — however, studies indicated this betterment correlates less with reduced mass itself, and more with abated social shaming frequently noted following the treatment. We investigated these data and its potential to demonstrate how weight related stigma impacts a person’s well-being and health.
13. Measles makes a comeback
The U.S. is at risk of losing its “measles elimination status” very soon, as the infection continues to spread via various outbreaks.
By the year 2000, the United States attained a meaningful accomplishment in public health with the removal of measles. At this time, there’s been a continual upsurge in this highly contagious sickness, locating the country on the verge of negating that esteemed eradication accomplishment. This story detailed its genesis, alongside the impending implications. And in an opinion piece, several experts called out the anti-vaccine movement that drove down measles vaccination rates — a movement that health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been spearheading for years.
14. Is America losing the war on cancer?
In an excerpt from a book, Nafis Hasan posited that the United States’ approaches to address cancer have remained misguided for numerous decades. With excessive emphasis on discerning courses of therapy for cancer diagnosed individuals, America has significantly overlooked population-level methodologies, which hold potential in reducing cancer prevalence and mortality across the board, as per his argument.
15. Threats to fetal tissue research
The U.S. national governance is threatening to place constraints on investigations conducted through human fetal tissue. In an opinion section, cell biologist, geneticist and neuroscientist Lawrence Goldstein dispelled widespread myths and misinformation about this type of research.
16. “The Big One,” a disaster to dwarf COVID-19related stories
—Estrogen may prompt the production of opioids in the body following injuries
—’Vaccine rejection is as old as vaccines themselves’: Science historian Thomas Levenson on the history of germ theory and its deniers
—8-year-old with rare, fatal disease shows dramatic improvement on experimental treatment
Epidemiologist Michael Osterholm predicted the advent of a more serious pandemic than COVID-19. In one section of a published work and an interview session with Live Science, Osterholm shared takeaways we ought to have acquired from the Coronavirus pandemic; indicating recent shifts in US strategy may have devastated US preparedness when dealing with grave outbreaks.
17. Climate change may drive up hyponatremia
As the planet heats, a hazardous condition is likely to upswing; hyponatremia. This occurrence induces a radical depletion of bodily sodium, with potential consequences involving seizures, coma, and demise. A Live Science report examined an emerging trend.
18. Baby-making robots?
A viral account indicated the possibility of scientists in China working upon “pregnancy robots,” capable of incubating human infants from conception to gestation. The claim proved entirely fictitious — theoretically could such technology be realized? Specialists gauged reactions to this sci-fi theme; evaluating the potential to create genuine maternity robots over time.
Nicoletta LaneseSocial Links NavigationHealth Channel Editor
Nicoletta Lanese serves as the health editor at Live Science, after roles of staff writer and news editor at the site. She has a science communications graduate certificate (UC Santa Cruz), and neuroscience and dance qualifications from the University of Florida. Various outlets such as The Scientist, Science News, Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine have showcased her writing. Based in NYC, she stays invested with dance, playing a part in local choreographer projects.
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