2025 Review of the Arts, History, and Science

Discoveries in the world of the arts, history, and sciences are always exciting, and the year 2025 did not disappoint. From fallen icebergs and ancient books to mysterious goo and light pollution, a lot happened over the last 365 days. Scientists and researchers work hard each day to learn more about our Earth and the secrets within it. Let’s review some of the year’s stories, discoveries, and findings.

2025 Art and History Stories

Suite Vulgate du Merlin — First discovered in the Cambridge University library in 2019, a manuscript of Suite Vulgate du Merlin, a French sequel to the legend of King Arthur, was digitally inspected using modern technology. The document was found to have been written between the years 1275 and 1315 and was being used as a book cover for a 16th-century archival register. The non-invasive technology used to inspect the document has opened doors for the conservation and digitization of medieval documents.

The Magna Carta — A similar story takes us to Harvard Law School and its supposed copy of the Magna Carta, an important document that limited the power of the English monarch. A Harvard professor, David Carpenter, realized that the “copy” bore a remarkable resemblance to an original. After running a series of tests, a team of scientists and librarians discovered that it was, in fact, an original. The university paid just $27.50 for its version, now worth millions of dollars.

Johann Sebastian Bach — More discoveries at Harvard University when, in November of 2025, two new pieces of music (scores) written by Johann Sebastian Bach, a famous German composer, were found. After 30 years, while studying Bach’s son, a Mr. Wollny realized that Bach’s organist had written music down for the famous composer, who at the time was 18 or younger. The music has been added to the official list of music written by Bach.

Superman  —  In late November 2025, the extremely rare original Superman comic sold at auction for a whopping $9.12 million. The first issue of the book series “Superman” is now considered to be the most expensive comic in the world.

2025 Science Stories

The Iceberg — In January 2025, a giant iceberg fell from an ice shelf in Antarctica to reveal an entirely unknown ecosystem. A ship named Falkor with several scientists on board just happened to be nearby, so they quickly began researching the unexplored ocean floor. Using an underwater rover, the scientists got a firsthand look at the newly exposed area.

Surprisingly, the team found a variety of sea life thriving in the dark, ice-covered part of the ocean. Everything from sponges and squid to giant sea spiders and even some possible new species were discovered. Plenty of samples were acquired as well as video footage of the dark waters. Scientists look forward to what they can learn from the data.

KJ Muldoon – In Philadelphia, a baby, KJ Muldoon, was born with a DNA defect that made his body  unable to rid itself of ammonia. In a healthy person, the liver works to remove ammonia from the body. KJ did not have time to wait for a transplant, so scientists began looking for another solution.

They created a medicine that would change a small part of KJ’s DNA makeup. After testing the medication on mice and monkeys, doctors felt that it was safe enough to give to the baby. After one small dose, KJ’s body and health began improving. He has receives a couple more doses and is expected to be able to go home for the first time in his life.

Bogong Moths – A scientific discovery surrounding the migration of Bogong moths was exposed in 2025. A rigorous test using 400 moths, a fake starry sky, and the removal of Earth’s magnetic field revealed that the insects use stars to guide them. Previous tests had indicated that the Earth’s magnetic field was the primary guide for the Australian moths, but this was debunked by the study.

The researchers set up the arena for the moths. First, they used a special device to turn off Earth’s magnetic field and then lit up the area with a layout of a typical starry night. The moths flew in the exact direction they were supposed to. When the stars were mixed up to reveal a nontraditional night sky, the moths became confused and unsure which way to fly. This test proved to scientists that the insects use the stars to guide them and, on cloudy nights, fall back on the geomagnetic field.

Mysterious Ship Goo – In August 2025, a research ship in the Great Lakes contained an odd black “goo” that puzzled researchers. Upon testing a small sample of the slime, scientists discovered that it contained enough DNA to make them a bit more curious. Further testing revealed that several organisms were living within the gooey substance. Some of the organisms were identifiable, though one was new to researchers. They gave the organism the name ShipGoo001. With so many questions surrounding the discovery, much more research will be conducted on the substance in the months and years to come.

Light Pollution vs Birds – Light pollution is the use of artificial light in an unwanted and excessive manner. Artificial light is something that is part of nearly all our lives. The lamp on your living room table, or the streetlamp that offers visibility in an otherwise dark setting, are a couple of examples of artificial light. One wonders how those lights could be bad for birds. Well, here is the breakdown. The bright lights confuse the birds that normally function on natural day and night routines. Researchers have discovered that birds, especially those in urban areas, begin singing at earlier times in the morning and continue to sing long after the sun has gone down. This disruption in their daily patterns has caused the birds to lose more than 50 minutes of sleep per day. The fake glow of light disrupts other animals as well, and even humans have seen changes in their sleeping and eating patterns due to light pollution.

Many exciting discoveries in the world of science, history, and art were revealed in 2025. It brings excitement to learn about what new and exciting revelations will be unearthed in 2026. What is your favorite 2025 discovery? Can you predict what may happen in 2026? Stay tuned for more interesting stories and amazing breakthroughs throughout the new year.

1. Scientists and researchers work hard each day to learn more about our Earth and the secrets within it.
2. Discoveries in medicine, animals, and oceans provide answers to questions and solutions to problems.
3. New information is revealed each year through modern testing and intelligent scientists and researchers.