From astrophysics to genetics, climate change to materials science — the News & Views team talk about some of their science highlights of 2025.
Download Nature's News & Views roundup of 2025
Nature: Asteroids, antibiotics and ants: a year of remarkable science
In this episode:
1:58 Evidence of ancient brine on an asteroid
Samples taken from the asteroid Bennu by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft suggest the parent body it originated from is likely to have contained salty, subsurface water. This finding provides insights into the chemistry of the early Solar System, and suggests that brines might have been an important place where pre-biotic molecules were formed.
News & Views: Asteroid Bennu contains salts from ancient brine
Nature Podcast: Asteroid Bennu contains building blocks of life
08:01 How gene expression doesn't always reflect a cell's function
Cells are often grouped into categories according to the RNA molecules they produce. However a study of zebrafish (Danio rerio) brains revealed that cells can be functionally diverse even if they appear molecularly similar. This finding adds more nuance to how a cell's ‘type’ is ultimately defined.
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