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1. Some Arctic warming ‘irreversible’ even if we cut atmospheric CO2
   Efforts to lower the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere may come too late to prevent long-term changes to the Arctic
2. Mars may once have had a much larger moon
   There are two small moons in orbit around Mars today, but both may be remnants of a much larger moon that had enough of a gravitational pull to drive tides in the Red Planet's lost lakes and seas
3. Qubits break quantum limit to encode information for longer
   Controlling qubits with quantum superpositions allows them to dramatically violate a fundamental limit and encode information for about five times longer during quantum computations
4. New antibiotic could stave off drug-resistant gonorrhoea
   Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the microbe responsible for gonorrhoea, is developing resistance to most antibiotics, which means we need new drugs to treat the condition. An antibiotic called zoliflodacin might be part of a solution
5. Disney and OpenAI have made a surprise deal – what happens next?
   In a stunning reversal, Disney has changed tack with regard to safeguarding its copyrighted characters from incorporation into AI tools – perhaps a sign that no one can stem the tide of AI
6. Killer whales and dolphins are ‘being friends’ to hunt salmon together
   White-sided dolphins seem to help killer whales "scout" and catch Chinook salmon near Vancouver Island, then eat the leftovers
7. Supposedly distinct psychiatric conditions may have same root causes
   People are often diagnosed with multiple neurodivergencies and mental health conditions, but the biggest genetic analysis so far suggests many have shared biological causes
8. Earth and solar system may have been shaped by nearby exploding star
   A new explanation for the solar system's radioactive elements suggests Earth-like planets might be found orbiting up to 50 per cent of sun-like stars
9. Roman occupation of Britain damaged the population’s health
   Urban populations in southern Britain experienced a decline in health that lasted for generations after the Romans arrived
10. This year we were drowning in a sea of slick, nonsensical AI slop
    This Changes Everything columnist Annalee Newitz on how AI-generated content went mainstream in 2025