If 2025 were a series season, even “The Big Bang Theory” would have guaranteed another storyline: There was a fossilized foot that threatened to remove Lucy from the role of “mother of humanity,” an orange shark that appeared out of nowhere in Costa Rican waters, historical revisions that put Cabral back on the map and even a warning that the shape of the butt can provide clues about metabolic health. Meanwhile, researchers have shown that running on polluted streets can undo some of the effort and famous artists live less – who would have thought the price of a booster could be so high?
- Retrospective 2025: the year the Louvre theft attracted more attention in the arts world than any exhibition
- 2025: The year at the theater saw packed audiences, returning veterans, a reign of monologues and “wicked mania.”
Between curious discoveries, biomedical advances and climate change, the year was also marked by studies that directly affected the lives of Brazilians. From falling poverty rates to new evidence of the impact of rising sea levels in Copacabana, to the realization that 62% of the food distributed in the country is ultra-processed, the planet has become a laboratory – and Brazil, the subject and author of some of the most relevant research.
Below, we list some of the 20 scientific, archaeological and historical discoveries that marked 2025 and helped to decipher another part of the world in which we live:
1. The share of Brazilians living in poverty falls to 25%
Published by FGV Social in May.
The study by economist Marcelo Neri shows that the cumulative decline since 2022 reaches 21% and, in 2024, it is mainly due to the improvement in the labor market.
2. 1 in 23 adolescents becomes a mother each year in Brazil
Published in July by UFPel in partnership with Umane.
Between 2020 and 2022, the country recorded more than a million births to mothers aged 15 to 19 and more than 49,000 pregnancies to girls aged 10 to 14.
3. Copacabana has already lost 10% of its sand strip
Published by UFRJ in July.
The analysis assessed the impact of sea level rise from the port of Rio to Leblon and highlights an accelerated reduction of the sand strip and the risk of disappearance of mangroves in Guapimirim.
4. An orange shark is recorded for the first time
Published in August in Springer Nature.
The white-eyed, orange-skinned nurse shark, recorded in Costa Rica, exhibited an unprecedented combination of xanthism and albinism. The study benefited from the participation of researchers from FURG and institutions from Venezuela and Costa Rica.
5. Nanoplastics reach the edible parts of vegetables
Published in September in the journal Environmental Research.
The team demonstrated that nanoplastics can penetrate roots and accumulate in edible parts. The group had previously used similar methods to detect particles in shellfish and fish.
6. The Brazilian islands have the greatest marine endemism on the planet
Published September 10 in Peer Community Journal.
The research analyzed more than 7,000 species across 87 islands and revealed the importance of Noronha, São Pedro, São Paulo and Trindade for marine endemism, highlighting species exclusive to these regions.
7. New simulations indicate that Cabral arrived at the RN, not in Bahia
Published in September in the Journal of Navigation, University of Cambridge.
The work suggests that the first landfall took place on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, between Rio do Fogo and São Miguel do Gostoso, based on simulations and data from the Caminha map.
8. Elderly people are the main users of psychiatric medications
Published by Functional in September.
The survey indicates that this group represents 30.6% of consumption and presents greater compliance with treatment, with almost 10 months of continuity, well above the average of 6 months for the other groups.
9. Peanut allergies have decreased significantly in children
Published October 20 in the journal Pediatrics.
The analysis shows a 36% drop in food allergies between 2017 and 2020, in line with guidelines for early introduction of peanuts to babies. Peanut allergies fell 43% over the period.
10. Brazil wastes enough water to power 3 billion Olympic swimming pools
Published in October by the Instituto Trata Brasil.
The study “Future Water Demand in 2050” indicates losses of 40.3% in distribution in 2023, totaling 7.257 billion m³ wasted – a volume that would meet all the additional demand predicted for the coming decades.
11. 62% of new foods launched in Brazil are ultra-processed
Published in October by the Ministry of Health, Anvisa, Opas and USP.
The report monitors the composition and labeling of 39,000 products launched during the period and also monitors trans fats.
12. Paracetamol during pregnancy does not cause autism
Published on November 10 in BMJ.
The “general review” analyzed the main studies on the subject and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to establish a causal relationship between the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and the development of ASD in children.
13. A foot fossil could rewrite Lucy’s story
Published in Nature magazine in November.
The newly analyzed fossilized foot found in 2009 in Burtele does not belong to Lucy’s species and suggests the presence of Australopithecus deyiremeda, which may have lived with Australopithecus afarensis more than three million years ago.
14. Seal milk is one of the most complex in the world
Published by the University of St. Andrews in November.
Researchers have identified more than 300 sugars in the milk of Scottish gray seals, surpassing the complexity of breast milk. The work required careful sample collection and challenges long-held ideas about the composition of milk in mammals.
15. Butt Shape May Indicate Diabetes Risk
Presented at the RSNA Annual Meeting in November.
Research shows that changes in the gluteus maximus – reduced volume in men and increased volume due to fat infiltration in women – can indicate diabetes and other metabolic markers. The study evaluates how aging, lifestyle and frailty affect muscle.
16. Exercising under pollution loses some of its effect
Published in November in the journal BMC Medicine.
The research analyzed data from more than 1.5 million adults followed for more than a decade in the United Kingdom, Taiwan, China, Denmark and the United States. The study finds that prolonged exposure to pollution reduces – but does not eliminate – the protective effect of exercise against overall mortality, cancer and heart disease.
17. Brazilian scientists develop a promising molecule against Alzheimer’s disease
Published in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience in November.
The compound has shown promising results in preclinical testing and now depends on partnering with industry to progress to human studies.
18. British study designates age 32 as late adolescence
Published on November 25 in the journal Nature Communications.
Cambridge researchers analyzed MRI scans of 3,802 people aged 0 to 90 and identified five epochs of brain reorganization throughout life. The study redefines adolescence and shows that this phase extends until around age 32, when the last major turning point in neural connections occurs.
19. Famous artists live on average four years younger
Published November 25 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
The analysis compared 648 musicians between 1950 and 1990 and showed that world-famous artists died four years earlier than their lesser-known colleagues, with a health impact comparable to that of smoking.
20. Study reveals low continuity of weight loss without Mounjaro
Published in December in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The study shows that the benefits of tirzepatide disappear after stopping treatment. Obese people who lost weight using the drug regained at least 25% of the loss within a year of stopping treatment, in addition to losing gains in waist circumference, blood pressure, lipids and blood sugar.
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