Welcome to the 2025 Gizmodo Science Fair, our annual celebration of bold research that pushed boundaries, explored uncharted territory, and sought to make the world a better place. This year’s winning teams took big risks in pursuit of ambitious goals. Their work is a powerful reminder of not just why science matters, but why we love it—and why we need to protect it.
Read on to discover a vaccine targeting a range of fungal infections, the world’s first megawatt-scale tidal kite, a project bringing ancient mummy scents back to life, a cutting-edge rocket engine pushing the limits of propulsion, and a whole lot more.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory
For producing unprecedented views of the universe using a powerful camera and combining it with depth and speed to detect extremely faint objects.
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Minesto
For deploying the first operational, megawatt-scale tidal energy kite.
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University of Georgia
For research into a fungus-fighting vaccine that could protect against deadly and common fungal infections.
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The ALICE Collaboration at CERN
For transforming lead into gold for a fraction of a second and shedding new light on the strange physics that happens inside the Large Hadron Collider.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
For creating an atmospheric water harvesting device that could improve access to potable water in the most remote, arid regions of the world.
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Mass Eye and Ear
For developing an experimental stem cell therapy for severely injured corneas.
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Varda Space Industries
For successfully launching a first-of-its-kind in-orbit manufacturing spacecraft and returning it to Earth, bringing home a batch of space-made drugs.
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GO-Eco
For developing a non-toxic replacement for harmful forever chemicals (PFAS).
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University of Ljubljana and the Egyptian Museum of Cairo
For reproducing the smell of mummies from Ancient Egypt.
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Venus Aerospace
For designing, building, and testing an efficient new form of rocket propulsion—a rotating detonation engine.
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Bristol Myers Squibb and Karuna Therapeutics
For research and development of Cobenfy, the first truly novel treatment for schizophrenia in 50 years.
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ETH Zurich, Texas A&M University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Canadian Light Source Inc., and the Paul Scherrer Institute
For developing an environmentally friendly way to fuel nuclear fusion.
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Astroscale
For developing a satellite capable of rendezvousing with orbital junk, with the goal of capturing and releasing it toward a fiery grave.
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Read the full article here
