From a new color humans have never seen to bacteria evolving to eat our trash, these under-the-radar stories deserved way more attention
While headlines in 2025 were dominated by viral moments and political drama, some of the year’s most genuinely extraordinary developments barely registered on the public radar. Here are eight stories that slipped through the algorithm and deserved far more attention.
1. Scientists created a color humans have literally never seen before
In April, researchers at UC Berkeley announced they had achieved something that sounds impossible: showing humans a color that exists outside the natural visible spectrum. By using precisely aimed lasers to stimulate only the M-cone cells in the retina, bypassing the overlap with other photoreceptors, the team created a hyper-saturated blue-green they named “olo.”
The five test subjects who saw olo described it as a “profoundly saturated teal” that made normal greens look pale by comparison. The research, published in Science Advances, could eventually help treat color blindness or expand human color perception. Unfortunately, you cannot see olo unless you visit their lab in Berkeley and let them shoot lasers into your eyes.
2. The first wheelchair user traveled to space
On December 20, German aerospace engineer Michaela “Michi” Benthaus became the first wheelchair user to travel past the Kármán line, according to CNN. Paralyzed from the waist down after a 2018 mountain biking accident, the 33-year-old launched aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard capsule and spent 10 minutes in microgravity.
The capsule required only minor modifications, including a patient transfer board. Benthaus, who works for the European Space Agency, described it as “the coolest experience ever.” The mission made headlines but quickly faded from the news cycle despite representing a genuine milestone in space accessibility. Hans Koenigsmann, a retired SpaceX executive, helped organize and sponsor her trip.
3. Over 200 watersheds in Alaska are turning bright orange
Across Alaska’s Brooks Range, rivers that were once crystal clear are now running the color of rust. NOAA’s 2025 Arctic Report Card documented that more than 200 watersheds have now been affected by the phenomenon, with visible discoloration appearing in satellite imagery.
The cause lies underground. As permafrost thaws, it exposes ancient sulfide-rich minerals that have been frozen for millennia. When these minerals interact with water and oxygen, they release sulfuric acid that leaches iron and heavy metals into waterways. According to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, metal concentrations in some rivers now exceed EPA toxicity thresholds for aquatic life. Scientists warn the process is irreversible and spreading across the Arctic, threatening subsistence fisheries that Indigenous communities depend on.
4. A cat parasite may be affecting billions of human brains
New research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2025 added to a growing body of evidence that Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite spread primarily through cat feces and undercooked meat, may be subtly influencing human behavior. The parasite, which forms cysts in brain tissue, has now been linked to increased impulsivity, aggression, and risk-taking behaviors.
Studies estimate that up to 80% of older adults worldwide may carry the latent infection. In animals, T. gondii famously removes rodents’ fear of cats to complete its life cycle. In humans, research suggests it alters dopamine balance in ways that may increase the risk of psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia and intermittent explosive disorder. The infection is typically asymptomatic and lasts for life.
5. Bacteria have evolved to eat plastic across 80% of ocean samples
Marine bacteria are learning to eat our garbage. A study published in The ISME Journal in November found that microbes capable of breaking down PET plastic, the material in bottles and clothing, now appear in nearly 80% of ocean water samples worldwide.
Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology analyzed more than 400 samples and identified a specific enzyme signature enabling bacteria to digest synthetic polymers, according to ScienceDaily. The microbes are most active in waters heavily polluted with plastic, suggesting evolution is responding to humanity’s waste in real time.
The catch: the process is far too slow to meaningfully clean the oceans. But the discovery could provide blueprints for industrial recycling enzymes.
6. Millions believed a TikTok rapture prediction, then just moved on
In September, Pastor Joshua Mhlakela of South Africa claimed Jesus had appeared to him in a dream and declared the rapture would occur on September 23 or 24, coinciding with Rosh Hashanah. The prediction spawned the hashtag #RaptureTok and reached millions.
Some believers reportedly sold possessions and quit jobs, according to Newsweek. Religious scholars widely dismissed the claim, citing Matthew 24:36, which states that no one knows the hour of Christ’s return.
The dates passed. Nothing happened. And the collective silence that followed, the quiet pivot back to normal life by people who had publicly prepared for the end of the world, was perhaps the most fascinating part of the entire episode.
7. Something from outside our solar system passed through, and most people missed it
On July 1, the ATLAS telescope in Chile detected an object moving so fast and at such an unusual trajectory that astronomers quickly confirmed it originated from interstellar space. Designated 3I/ATLAS, it became only the third confirmed visitor from beyond our solar system, following ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019.
NASA deployed Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope, and even the Europa Clipper spacecraft to study it, according to NASA. The comet’s unusual carbon-dioxide-to-water ratio suggests it formed under conditions very different from anything in our cosmic neighborhood.
Harvard physicist Avi Loeb initially speculated it could be an alien spacecraft. Subsequent observations confirmed it’s a comet. It reached its closest approach to Earth on December 19 and is now heading back into the void, carrying with it material from another star system that we briefly got to examine.
8. A biotech company “resurrected” the dire wolf, sort of
In April, Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences announced it had created three genetically engineered wolf pups designed to resemble the dire wolf, an apex predator extinct for over 10,000 years. The pups, named Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi, were born after scientists edited 20 genes in gray wolf cells to match traits associated with the ancient species.
The announcement sparked immediate debate. Critics pointed out the animals are still 99.9% gray wolf. One Swedish geneticist noted on social media that millions of genetic differences separate the species, making these pups “optimistically 1/100,000th dire wolf.”
By May, Colossal’s own chief scientist acknowledged the pups are “grey wolves with 20 edits,” according to Wikipedia’s compiled reporting. The semantic debate over what constitutes “resurrection” continues. The wolves, meanwhile, are reportedly thriving on a 2,000-acre preserve, howling and stalking leaves like any other canine predator would.
What’s next
These stories share something beyond being underreported: they each represent shifts that may matter far more in retrospect than they seemed to in the moment.
Arctic waterways are being chemically transformed. Microorganisms are adapting to our waste faster than we expected. A wheelchair user made it to space. Scientists showed humans a color that shouldn’t exist. And for a brief window, we got to study material from another star system before it disappeared forever.
The algorithm optimizes for engagement, not significance. These stories suggest those aren’t always the same thing.
