As we approach the end of the year and reflect on everything that has happened, it's clear it's been a doozy. There have been many things to focus our attention on, some magical, some wonderful, and some a little scary.
In a Reddit thread titled "2025 comes to a close, what's one thing from this year that felt straight out of a sci-fi movie but really happened?" people shared some of the year's most memorable moments. Get ready, because some of them are absolutely wild.
Images from Mars from NASA's Perseverance Mars rover.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Wikimedia Commons
We're living in a sci-fi movie: Mission to Mars
The journal Nature reported on a rock sample nicknamed "Sapphire Canyon" examined by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover. Describing textures on the rock as "leopard spots" and "poppy seeds," researchers said the patterns shared features associated with biological activity, possibly created by ancient microbes. Scientists are cautious, noting that many chemical pathways can produce similar mineral patterns, though the features could be biological in origin.
Put those robots to work
Robotic technology is inspecting the sewers and underground utility networks in Bengaluru, India. The Times of India reported on the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board's decision to shift from human workers to robotic technology. The new tech has significantly reduced the risk of human exposure to hazardous spaces and helped engineers avoid unnecessary digging.
Light up the skies
The night sky lit up like a scene from Spielberg's War of the Worlds. Stunning shades of blue, pink, and green were seen across the Midwest, including parts of Colorado and even Florida. The heightened aurora activity was caused by intense solar storms that sent charged particles from the Sun into Earth's upper atmosphere. WFYI Public Media reported the best viewing times for states like Indiana were just before midnight.
Eye surgery.Photo credit: Canva
People are going bionic
There have been incredible leaps forward in vision-related technology. The Guardian reported on an electronic implant with the thickness of a human hair. Blind patients can read letters again through an eye that had lost the ability to see.
Is this the person or not?
If you didn't know, deepfakes use artificial intelligence to create audio and video that mimic how a person looks and sounds. A study at Sungkyunkwan University found that the widely used deepfake detection tools were unreliable in identifying deepfakes in real-world conditions. The situation has become concerning enough that 85% of Americans surveyed say realistic deepfakes have made them less likely to trust online photos and videos. Undetectable AI reported that deepfake technology resulted in $200 million in losses in 2025.
There are now brain computers
Co-founded by Elon Musk, Neuralink is a brain-computer interface company. It recently implanted the device in its eighth and ninth participants, connecting their nervous systems to devices that interpret brain activity. Euronews reported that the technology is designed to allow participants to use computers using only their thoughts.
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People are going to drive in the sky
Pre-orders have begun for flying cars, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2026. Flying car labs are gearing up for the production scale of these electric, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. People's Daily Online reported that the Govy AirCab is a multi-rotor flying car that can accommodate four to five passengers and costs less than 1.68 million yuan.
Beam me up, Scotty
This isn't quite the same as the exotic teleportation of matter depicted in the sci-fi franchise Star Trek. Instead, it uses quantum entanglement, in which particles far apart remain connected and responsive to one another. Science Alert shared that the success rate was a little over 70%. The new technology will allow information to be transferred between photons, helping secure quantum data and keep it safe.
As technology continues to break through new barriers, the gap between sci-fi and reality grows smaller and smaller.
If you're curious about other scientific breakthroughs, watch this video:
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Superstructure of the Kola Superdeep Borehole, 2007 
Gif of Pinocchio via 
Floating gardens with solar panels. Image from 
Petroleum jelly. Image from 
Man standing on concrete wall.Photo credit 
The Pantheon in Rome and Hong Kong at sunrise.Photo credit 
Windmills and green grass. 
Time lapse of blue skies over a solar field. 
3D televisionImage via 
Standing on a hoverboard.Image via 
Never ending potato chip kkaleidoscope. 
Woman using VR goggles outdoorsImage via 
The Las Vegas Sphere 
For now, the Zoox robotaxis are free but they can only drop passengers off at one of five Las Vegas Strip locations with plans to expand to many more locations in the near future. Zoox
The autonomous vehicles can reach speeds up to 75mph going forward or backward. It has four-wheel steering, known as crab steering.Zoox