Today in Science: 3 supplements that work, and other health discoveries

We looked at the evidence and found what is actually worth your money ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

December 30, 2025—I hope you're enjoying this holiday week. If you're working today, escape the grind with our round-up of the most exciting health news of the year. Then, we had some fascinating conversations with experts this year and we picked our favorites. Plus, check out the coolest deep-sea images from 2025.  —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor 10 TRANSFORMATIONAL HEALTH DISCOVERIES OF 2025 Capsules of omega-3 fatty acids. Mensent Photography/Getty Images Scientific American reviewed the research on anti-inflammatory supplements, and three showed notable effectiveness at tamping disease-related inflammation: omega-3 fatty acids, curcumin and vitamin D. | 8 min read  Hypochlorous acid—a centuries-old germ killer increasingly found in skin care products—might become the next best disinfectant. It's a weak acid that can be safely used on the skin and is more effective than bleach at destroying an array of harmful microbes by attacking cell walls. | 11 min read The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognized research on the system that stops immune responses from running amok and attacking the body—a process key to preventing autoimmune disease. | 6 min Click here to read the most important health news of 2025. OUR FAVORITE CONVERSATIONS OF 2025 Hannah Cairo; Adam Aleksic/Scientific American; Shideh Ghandeharizadeh In April, four passengers aboard a SpaceX rocket looped around the planet from pole to pole, giving them an unprecedented view of Earth's auroras. Reporter Meghan Bartels spoke with Katie Herlingshaw, a space physicist at Norway's University Center in Svalbard, about how the Fram2 mission aimed to shed light on this shimmering phenomenon. | 4 min read Health and medicine editor Lauren Young spoke with Eric Topol, cardiologist and genomics professor at Scripps Research in La Jolla, Calif. In his latest book, Super Agers, Topol explains the fascination with "biological clocks" and pinpoints the science that might help humans live longer than ever. | 6 min read  At 17 years old Hannah Cairo disproved the Mizohata-Takeuchi conjecture, breaking a four-decade-old mathematical assumption. Our math writer Emma Hanson sat down with Cairo to talk about how she got into the field of harmonic analysis. | 7 min read What do trendy terms like "brain rot" really mean? And should you be concerned about "Skibidi Toilet" jokes told in schoolyards? TikTok sensation and linguist Adam Aleksic, author of Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language, dissects how social media algorithms are creating new trends in slang and human speech patterns. | 9 min read Click here to read more great conversations from 2025 Support independent science journalism with a subscription to Scientific American.  THE COOLEST DEEP-SEA IMAGES FROM 2025

• This mysterious creature has a hood it uses to catch prey, is equipped with detachable tentacles and is partly covered in glowing blue-green dots. This year, scientists finally figured out that this "mystery mollusk" is actually a nudibranch, or sea slug. In fact, it's from an entirely new family of nudibranchs and has been dubbed Bathydevius caudactylus.  • Researchers captured the first footage of a colossal squid about 2,000 feet below the surface of the remote South Atlantic Ocean. This particular squid wasn't so colossal, though—it was a baby measuring only about 1 foot in length. • Researchers discovered a vibrant ecosystem of anemones, sea spiders, icefish, octopuses—including some new species—living on the underside of a glacier. The creatures had been there for decades or even hundreds of years.   Click here to see more fascinating images from the deep sea UNDERDOGS OF 2025 These are some the editors' favorite articles published by Scientific American this year that flew under the radar. I think they deserve some eyeballs. Trust me and check them out! The Sordid Mystery of a Somalian Meteorite Smuggled into China How a space rock vanished from Africa and showed up for sale across an ocean | 14 min read The Bird Flu Story No One Is Telling Bird flu fears have focused on the poultry and dairy industries and human health. But wild animals are threatened, too—at scales no one fully understands | 11 min read The Internet Is Disappearing. How Do We Save What Is Important? When written knowledge is more ephemeral than ever, how can we pass on what's important? | 11 min read One of my favorite conversations of the year was my own with nature writer Robert Macfarlane about his latest book, Is a River Alive? In it, he considers a fascinating question: Does nature have inherent rights that deserve to be respected? Read the full conversation here.   Tomorrow we'll be looking ahead to 2026. See you then. Email me: newsletters@sciam.com.   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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