As we close out the year, we’ve been reflecting on how much progress the SETI Institute has made in 2025 — and how that work is setting the stage for what we'll be able to accomplish next year with your help. We've been chasing comets, studying biosignatures, talking to whales, searching for technosignatures… it's been quite the year of steady, meaningful research and discovery. Here are ten that stand out.

On July 1, 2025, NASA’s ATLAS telescope in Chile discovered Comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known interstellar object after ʻOumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019). We broke down the science behind this mysterious object.

SETI Institute scientists Mark Showalter and Matthew Tiscareno helped discover a faint new Uranian moon with JWST, expanding the planet’s known satellites and revealing added complexity in its ring–moon system.

SETI Institute integrated NVIDIA’s new IGX Thor platform into the Allen Telescope Array, enabling real-time, on-site AI signal detection.

Elio and the Science of First Contact: SETI Institute advised Pixar on Elio, helping bring real SETI science like the Drake Equation and technosignatures into a story that celebrates first contact, curiosity, and connection. Now a 2026 Golden Globe nominee for Best Animated Motion Picture!

Perseverance Reveals Ancient Martian Chemistry: NASA's Perseverance rover uncovered mineral evidence of ancient Martian water, complex chemistry, and organics, hinting at energy-rich environments possibly favorable to early life.

Fresh Clues About Mars' Past: SETI Institute scientist Janice Bishop identified a likely new Martian mineral, showing how heat and chemical processes reshaped the surface and offering new insight into Mars’ geologic history and past environments.

Earth Detecting Earth: A new study models Earth’s technosignatures — radio, atmospheric, and visible signals — to assess how detectable our planet is to alien civilizations and guide future SETI efforts.

Drake Award Recognizes Origins of Life Research: SETI Institute names David Deamer and John Baross 2025 Drake Award recipients, honoring complementary pioneering research on life’s origins across diverse environments.

What made 2025 remarkable wasn’t a single, headline-grabbing discovery (though Comet 3I/ATLAS is certainly making waves!). It was the steady momentum — the expanded toolsets, new partnerships, enhanced observing capabilities, and meaningful breakthroughs — that strengthened every part of our scientific work.

And 2026 is shaping up to be a year of continued acceleration. New instruments will come online. More data will flow in from observatories around the globe and beyond. Long-running research programs will hit major milestones. The key to turning that momentum into opportunity? Ongoing support from donors and advocates like you, who give us the agility to capture, analyze, and share discoveries in real time.

If you’ve ever looked up and wondered what’s out there, you’re not alone. Let’s keep exploring the frontier, together.
 

Thank you for making 2025 a year of progress, hope, and real scientific impact. With your support, we head into 2026 ready for whatever the cosmos reveals.