The year 2025 has seen significant challenges for scientific research in the United States, with federal funding suspensions, cancellations, and delays impacting academic and government laboratories nationwide. Despite these obstacles, researchers at the University of California (UC) have achieved notable advances across various fields.
Four UC faculty members received Nobel Prizes this year, marking a new world record. Research teams across all ten UC campuses reported progress in areas such as disease treatment, technology development, disaster safety strategies, and space exploration.
One highlight is the launch of twin spacecraft named Blue and Gold from Cape Canaveral in November. Led by UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory with partners in government and industry, this Mars mission aims to map the planet’s magnetic fields and study how its atmosphere responds to solar wind. The project was completed at roughly one-tenth the cost of previous NASA missions. Upon arrival at Mars in 2027, the spacecraft will spend a year gathering data that could inform future human exploration on the planet.
At UC Irvine, scientists used CRISPR gene editing to engineer microglia—immune cells within the brain—to deliver medicines directly past the blood-brain barrier. “This work opens the door to a completely new class of brain therapies,” said Robert Spitale, professor of pharmaceutical sciences at UC Irvine.
Researchers at UC Riverside collaborated with Google to develop an AI-powered tool called UNITE that detects deepfake videos by analyzing full video frames beyond facial features. Rohit Kundu, a Ph.D. student involved in the project, noted: “Anyone with moderate skills can bypass safety filters and generate realistic videos of public figures saying things they never said.”
After devastating wildfires hit Los Angeles in January 2025, UCLA faculty responded by installing air quality sensors throughout West L.A., studying fire-related pollutants alongside colleagues from UC Davis and UC Irvine. They also contributed recommendations for equitable recovery policies.
In veterinary medicine, Jak—a cat diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma—was among those treated with a new drug developed at UC San Francisco. The medication slowed disease progression for about 35 percent of cats enrolled in an NIH-funded trial at UC Davis and showed potential benefits for human cancers as well.
Climate change’s impact on coral reefs was addressed by Daniel Wangpraseurt’s lab at UC San Diego through a U.S. Department of Defense–funded project that created a UV-activated gel releasing chemicals to attract baby corals back onto degraded reefs or artificial structures.
Research into female fertility led by Diana Laird at UC San Francisco found unexpected contributors beyond aging eggs—including nerve support cells known as glia—in ovarian aging processes.
Anthropologists from UC Santa Cruz developed a strontium isotope map for sub-Saharan Africa using over 2,000 biological and soil samples collected across Africa. This tool helps descendants of enslaved Africans trace their ancestral origins more accurately than before. “That tells us something about a person’s life history to help us better understand these ancestors,” said Vicky Oelze from UC Santa Cruz.
A study from Adeyemi Adebiyi’s team at UC Merced linked increased dust storms in California’s Central Valley to land left fallow due to groundwater regulations introduced under state law in 2014. The researchers suggested planting cover crops on unused farmland could reduce dust events while maintaining water conservation goals.
Finally, engineers at UC Santa Barbara invented an emergency intubation device funded by the National Science Foundation that allows even first responders with limited experience to maintain patient airways quickly during emergencies; initial tests showed high success rates compared to existing methods.
These discoveries reflect ongoing contributions made possible through partnerships between federal research funding agencies—including NASA, NIH, NSF—and University of California researchers.
