BepiColombo mission will start to unpick Mercury's secrets in 2026 30. December 2025 (19:00) The BepiColombo mission has been on its way to Mercury since 2018 and will finally start orbiting the planet and taking X-ray images in the second half of 2026(New Scientist)
World's first subsea desalination facility will start running in 2026 30. December 2025 (19:00) Flocean, a Norwegian company, is set to open the world’s first commercial-scale subsea desalination plant, an approach that could cut the cost and energy used to make seawater drinkable(New Scientist)
The cost of weight-loss drugs should fall in 2026 30. December 2025 (19:00) The price of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy put them out of reach for most people with obesity, but new arrivals and expiring patents should change that this year(New Scientist)
US to fire up small reactors in 2026 as part of 'nuclear renaissance' 30. December 2025 (19:00) Eleven companies are working towards an ambitious goal as part of the US Department of Energy's plan to fast-track the development of advanced nuclear reactor technologies(New Scientist)
2026 Mars mission will set out to solve the mystery of its moons 30. December 2025 (19:00) The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will be launching the Martian Moons eXploration mission next year, which should finally tell us how Mars acquired the moons Phobos and Deimos(New Scientist)
Could James and the Giant Peach inspire the future of food? 30. December 2025 (19:00) In the latest in our imagined history of inventions yet to come, Future Chronicles columnist Rowan Hooper reveals how by the 2030s, botanists had worked out how to grow hybridised superplants to help feed the world(New Scientist)
The best new science fiction books of 2026 30. December 2025 (19:00) On the horizon for this year are Ann Leckie's latest, Neil Jordan's debut and more from Adrian Tchaikovsky. Exciting times, says our sci-fi columnist Emily H. Wilson(New Scientist)
The best new popular science books of 2026 30. December 2025 (19:00) Clear out your shelves for a bumper new crop of books by authors including Naomi Klein, Rebecca Solnit and Xand Van Tulleken, says culture editor Alison Flood(New Scientist)
