Happy new year! To end 2025, we’re counting down Futurity’s top 10 posts of the year.
We hope you’ve been able to find useful, surprising, mind-expanding research news on the site this year. Come back throughout 2026 to find more fascinating research from top universities.
Here are the 10 most popular posts on the site from the past year:
10. How to keep your pets free of fleas
Lori Teller, a clinical professor at Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, offers insight into the symptoms and dangers of fleas as well as effective prevention methods.
“Fleas can cause pets to become itchy, especially on their lower back, inner thighs, and head,” Teller says.
“With enough scratching and chewing, a pet can pull out its hair, create raw and inflamed lesions on its body, and develop a secondary bacterial infection.”
9. Why solid-state batteries are set to take over the world
“Solid-state batteries are moving closer to reality every day,” says Cengiz Ozkan, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Riverside.
“Our review shows how far the science has come and what steps are needed next to make these batteries available for everyday use.”
8. Ancient Maya population was bigger than scientists thought
“The ancient Maya never fail to amaze me,” says Francisco Estrada-Belli, a research professor in Tulane University’s Middle American Research Institute and manager of its GIS (Geographic Information System) lab.
“We expected a modest increase in population estimates from our 2018 lidar analysis, but seeing a 45% jump was truly surprising. This new data confirms just how densely populated and socially organized the Maya Lowlands were at their peak.”
7. Eye changes may be early warning for Alzheimer’s
“The eye is a window to the brain reflecting changes associated with neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease,” says Ashay Bhatwadekar, associate professor of ophthalmology at Indiana University.
“Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and our study will help provide ease of diagnosis and potential intervention for Alzheimer’s disease, thus enhancing patient outcomes and quality of life in the future.”
6. The right kind of protein after training can boost recovery
“The long-term health implication is that people who have low creatine and low-quality protein in their diet may not be able to recover and may not be able to perform when military tasks are needed,” says Richard Kreider of Texas A&M University.
“It applies to sports, and it even applies to aging. We used to think simply having enough protein is all you need, but the type of protein does matter.”
5. When did humans first arrive in Australia?
Research from the University of Utah digs into the question of when humans first colonized Australia.
“I would expect in the next five years or so, the pendulum is going to swing back to general agreement for an under 50,000-year date for Australian colonization,” says James O’Connell, professor emeritus in University of Utah’s anthropology department.
4. ‘Magic’ lenses make infrared light visible
Researchers from ETH Zurich developed an ultra-thin lens that can transform infrared light into visible light.
“We have only scratched the surface so far and are very excited to see how much of an impact this type of new cost-effective technology will have in the future,” says Rachel Grange, a professor at the Institute for Quantum Electronics at ETH Zurich.
3. ‘Midlife window’ could be key for preventing brain decline
“This represents a paradigm shift in how we think about brain aging prevention,” says Botond Antal, postdoctoral associate in biomedical engineering at Stony Brook University.
“Rather than waiting for cognitive symptoms, which may not appear until substantial damage has occurred, we can potentially identify people at risk through neurometabolic markers and intervene during this critical window.”
2. Common sleeping pill may pave way for disorders like Alzheimer’s
Research from the University of Rochester holds a warning for people who use the commonly prescribed sleep aid zolpidem. The drug suppressed the glymphatic system, potentially setting the stage for neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, which are the result of the toxic accumulation of proteins in the brain.
“The motivation for this research was to better understand what drives glymphatic flow during sleep, and the insights from this study have broad implications for understanding the components of restorative sleep,” says Maiken Nedergaard, codirector of the University of Rochester Center for Translational Neuromedicine.
1. Supplement could help remove ‘forever chemicals’ from the body
Research from Boston University suggests a common dietary supplement could decrease levels of forever chemicals in the body.
“Every person in the United States, essentially, is walking around with PFAS in their body,” says Jennifer Schlezinger, a Boston University School of Public Health professor of environmental health.
Thank you again for reading Futurity! Come back in 2026 for more incredible and useful research news.
-The Futurity Team
