Weekly: All You Need To Know For Science in 2025

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Jan 3, 2025

This installment explores the exciting rise of humanoid robots in automotive production, with companies like BMW and Tesla leading the charge. Expect breakthroughs in food technology as CRISPR gene editing promises disease-resistant livestock and modified bananas. The possibility of Ozempic as an Alzheimer’s treatment sparks hope, while solar geoengineering takes center stage in climate discussions. Additionally, the revival of supersonic flight with innovations aimed at reducing sonic booms highlights the intersection of technology and environmental concerns.

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INSIGHT

Humanoid Robots in 2025

2025 is the year of humanoid robots, with companies like Figure, Apptronik, and Tesla testing them in factories.
Human-like hands remain a challenge for robots, making humans still essential in manufacturing.

ANECDOTE

CRISPR Bacon and GM Bananas

CRISPR-edited pigs, resistant to PRRS, await FDA approval, potentially opening doors for wider genetic tech use in livestock.
GM bananas resistant to the fungal disease TR4 will undergo field trials in the Philippines.

INSIGHT

Agriculture-Free Food

Companies like Savor and Solar Foods are developing agriculture-free food using microbes and synthetic processes.
Vegan butter, protein replacements, and ice cream made this way might hit the US market soon.

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Episode 283

On this special episode of the podcast, we set you up for the year ahead. 2025 has been declared the year of humanoid robots. Futuristic robots that look like us are already being rolled out by companies like BMW and Tesla - and production is set to ramp up. One company is even planning to create an army of 10,000 warehouse robots called Digit.

We’re going to see big changes in the food industry too, as the US is set to approve CRISPR gene editing for pigs. The idea is to create elite livestock that are less prone to illness and can feed more people. Bananas are having their genes edited too, so they can fight off a major fungal disease that’s spreading around the world. And new types of butter, chocolate and ice cream are being made without the help of agriculture, just microbes.

Ozempic is showing surprising promise in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Based on a growing body of evidence, two big trials are looking into this unlikely connection and are set to conclude in 2025. If the results are positive, this could be a real breakthrough for the treatment of the disease.

Geoengineering is picking up, with more research and financing going towards plans to artificially cool the planet. Many methods are being explored, but one major area of interest this year is solar geoengineering, with the world’s largest conference on the subject set to take place in South Africa in May.

COP30 arrives this year and after the blowout that was COP29, tensions are high and motivation is low. With the US set to pull out of the Paris Agreement, will we be able to move forward on climate action, or will we be dragged backwards?

And it’s been more than 20 years since the last flight of Concorde, a supersonic commercial plane which failed for multiple reasons - one of those being just how loud it was. Now, in 2025, NASA is trying to fix that problem by creating a quiet supersonic plane, with other companies following suit. Will we go supersonic again this year?

To read more about these stories, visit https://www.newscientist.com/

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