These scientific discoveries brought us joy in 2025

Hope for axolotls, stories that make you laugh on your butt, and more

A cute pink frilly-headed axolotl salamander looks like it's smiling.

This is a story written by humans and voiced by AI. Do you have any comments? Take our survey. (See our AI policy here.)

At the heart of science is the joy of discovery: pushing the boundaries of what we know and learning more about the world and our place in it. Last year’s research was no exception, delighting us from the stupidest to the deepest. So take a minute to savor the few scientific wonders of 2025. After all, research shows that cultivating small moments of joy is very good for you.

A little elephant nestles in human cells

A toy elephant appears to be walking against a pink background in this image taken from above. — In a big (and small) feat, scientists have 3D printed a tiny elephant inside living human cells.DBenitostock/Getty Images

Measuring just 10 micrometers from trunk to tail, a little elephant was 3D printed inside living cells. This tiny feat could lead to new ways to control cells, researchers say. Even more delicious is the playful absurdism of a very, very small monster.

Gender gap narrows for cooking and cleaning

A man vacuums while a woman sits on a sofa and reads with two children. — In the United States, married women spend even more time on housework than married men. But the gender gap in time spent on traditionally feminine tasks, like housework and laundry, is narrowing.Maskot/Getty Images Plus

The men are spend more time on jobs traditionally reserved for women. Over the past two decades, the gap between women’s and men’s efforts has narrowed for tasks such as cooking and cleaning. The score is not yet equal: women still spend 2.5 hours compared to one hour for a man. But nevertheless, as one sociologist says, “there is a hopeful story here.” Hopefully the gap will narrow even further in 2026.

Vaccines could be delivered with dental floss

Purple-gloved hands hold a small white mouse while a second pair of blue-gloved hands gently run dental floss through the rodent's teeth. — Two researchers gently floss a mouse’s lower incisors, administering a vaccine that could help protect the animal against the flu.Paul Stonum

Last year, some researchers gently flossed mice. It sounds funny, but murine dental care served a worthy goal: the possibility of vaccinations with dental floss. The mice were vaccinated against the flu with nothing more than a simple wiping of specialized dental floss. This ingenuity could lead to practical, less painful ways to boost immunity.

Good news among bad news for axolotls

An aerial shot shows two axolotls in blue-green water. — Captive-bred axolotls (two shown) were released into two habitats to test their survival and preferred environmental conditions. Reintroduction could help scientists save the amphibian from extinction.Horacio Mena

Wild axolotls are threatened with extinction. That’s the bad news. But rest assured: cute axolotls raised in captivity may be able to replenish the population of their wild brotherssuggests a conservation study. These beloved aquatic salamanders might just have a chance of surviving.

Posterior disguises help flies blend in

What looks like a small face with bright eyes and antennae is actually the tip of a fly larva. — This blowfly larva breathes through holes that look a lot like termite eyes, helping the impostor blend into a termite nest.Vlad Dinca

A blowfly study gives new meaning to the term “ass head.” Blowfly larvae crouching in a termite mound in Morocco have surprised scientists with their rear-end mimicry. These larvae had fake termite faces on their backsides, including antennae, eyes and other small pieces, which tricked the termites into accepting the intruders.

More butt news, this time for the people

A man sits on the edge of a hospital bed with a row of partially clothed mannequins lined up behind him, their buttocks visible. — The physician Takanori Takebe showed that it was possible for mammals to obtain oxygen through their anus. But it remains an open question whether this is possible and practical for human patients who have difficulty breathing.Courtesy of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Humans breathe air through their noses and mouths, but there is another, less attractive entrance. In a heroic act of volunteerism, 27 men courageously accepted oxygen-rich liquid into the anus and I kept it on for an hour. Most of these intrepid volunteers tolerated the liquid. Future tests will reveal whether these intestinal deliveries can increase blood oxygen levels.

The sound of two hands clapping, explained

When a person claps, an air pocket forms in the palms. A jet of air escapes from a space left between the thumb and index finger, triggering vibrations in the surrounding air. Researchers found a similar effect using cup-shaped silicone models designed to mimic palm slapping.

YICONG FU, CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Clapping is a way of expressing our joy. We now know the physics that allows us to make this happy noise. When two enthusiastic hands come together to clap, the resulting sound can be explained by a phenomenon known as Helmholtz resonance. This concept describes the sound made when a person blows on the top of a glass soda bottle. A The Helmholtz resonator is at work as sound waves erupt from hand claps, scientists report.

OK 2025, you have bowed out. We welcome 2026 to the stage, with its scientific joys just waiting to be discovered.