The revolution of planet Earth around the sun — and Minnesota’s one and only land-grant university with it — wouldn’t be complete without a look back at what we humans got up to during our 365 (and one quarter) days. Plus, it always helps to look back on where you’ve been to plot where you intend to go next.
As a top U.S. public research university, University of Minnesota Twin Cities researchers, students, and other members of the University community are regularly up to extraordinary things. Thousands of stories originate from their creativity, research, passion and determination to make the world a better place, whether for the next 365 days or into a distant future we cannot yet envision. What is known, however, is that no small part of that future will be built upon what happens here.
We selected the 10 news features published on the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ news site in 2025 that resonated with the most readers.
First hormone-free male birth control pill clears another milestone
One of the biggest stories of the year was based on research from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy that laid the groundwork for the first hormone-free male birth control pill to enter clinical trials.
While the FDA has approved over 20 different categories of contraceptives, only two are available for men to prevent pregnancy in their partners — condoms and vasectomies. With the unintentional pregnancy rate at nearly 50% in the U.S. and globally, it’s no wonder this research resonated. Lead researcher Gunda Georg says the pill has the potential to allow for a more equitable sharing of responsibility for family planning and provide reproductive autonomy for men.
Fungi from Minnesota can kill emerald ash borer beetles
One of the most devastating forest pests to ever hit North America may have finally met its match. Decades of research have gone into developing management tools to protect ash trees from emerald ash borer, to varying effect. In 2025, a breakthrough: Colin Peters, a graduate student in the University of Minnesota’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, discovered that several species of parasitic fungi were effective at killing the infamous ash borer.
"With a billion ash trees in Minnesota, we need to explore all possible methods to try and control this devastating pest,” said professor and study co-author Robert Blanchette.
CIDRAP launches Vaccine Integrity Project
The University of Minnesota’s nationally renowned Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) launched the Vaccine Integrity Project in 2025, and the public took notice. Designed to engage professionals across the country to prevent illness and death from targeted infectious disease threats, the initiative is dedicated to safeguarding vaccine use in the U.S.
The project is supported through philanthropy and positions the University as a leader in providing science-based infectious disease information to the American public.
How powerboats impact lakes below the surface
It’s not surprising that Minnesotans are passionate about water and the environment. After all, Minnesota borders the world’s largest freshwater lake (by surface area), is home to the headwaters of one of the world’s greatest rivers and boasts “The Land of 10,000 Lakes” on its license plates.
A number of news features (this and every year) bear out that environmental interest, including continuing research showing that large surface waves produced by powerboats used in recreational water sports can impact delicate lakebed ecosystems. The research moved beyond discovery to offer real solutions to the issue, so that both watercraft operators and others can enjoy our state’s natural resources well into the future.
Unstoppable: The University of Minnesota is an entrepreneurial powerhouse
As Minnesota’s largest single creator of startups, the University of Minnesota is truly an entrepreneurial powerhouse. Across nearly every field, students, faculty, alumni and regular Minnesotans are invited to transform novel ideas and concepts into products and businesses that address real-world issues we all face.
From the Honeycrisp apple to high-tech innovations like rare-earth free permanent magnets and breakthrough medical devices, the University has built a startup ecosystem in Minnesota that lifts all boats and powers the state and region’s economy. With that kind of mindset, the next great breakthrough is almost certainly just beyond the next wave.
Instagram and talking turkeys with the New York Times brings a wild ride
Sometimes stories are popular because, like turkeys at Thanksgiving, they simply land at the right time. Or, it could be that they’re just plain fun. The story of how a student-founded Instagram account (@turkeysofumn) landed on the front page of the New York Times and continues to this day was surely a little of both. Plus, who doesn’t love wild turkeys on campus?
Defining the future of agriculture
The University of Minnesota was founded on advancing agriculture; 175 years later, agriculture continues to be a critical part of its mission. Minnesotans have taken notice.
The work happening at the University of Minnesota lifts up farmers and boosts prosperity all across Greater Minnesota. In fact, every dollar invested in University agricultural research returns up to $40 to Minnesota’s economy.
But now is no time to rest. That’s why the University is doubling down, rolling up its proverbial flannel sleeves, and amping up its research to help feed the world while protecting the environment through cutting-edge work in precision agriculture, controlled environment agriculture, and regenerative agriculture.
A student innovation eliminates invasive pests
We’ve already talked here about protecting the environment and about student entrepreneurship, so it’s fitting that one of the year’s most popular stories comes from a student innovation that falls under both categories.
For years, Aditya Prabhu and his family plucked Japanese beetles off plants in their yard, an invasive pest that destroys hundreds of different plant varieties. As Prabhu grappled with this pesky problem, he partnered with Minnesota Carlson graduate James Duquette. With Duquette’s knowledge as a finance and entrepreneurship major, and Prabhu’s background as a computer engineering major, the pair invented a new kind of beetle trap called Alure.
Using the trap is easy for home gardeners, and it’s much better for the environment than spraying large amounts of insecticide, Prabhu says. Their business development occurred through the Carlson School’s Entrepreneurship in Action course, designed to offer students real-life experience in launching a startup company.
Talking tick season with University of Minnesota
Every spring, Minnesotans are eager to get out and enjoy the beautiful outdoors. Unfortunately, so are ticks, which can carry bacteria, viruses and parasites that can harm humans, including Lyme disease and anaplasmosis.
Each year the public has questions, and this year Associate Professor Jon Oliver with the University of Minnesota School of Public Health answered them, including how people can avoid ticks and what to do if they find one on themselves.
Two University of Minnesota scientists honored with National Medal of Science
University of Minnesota faculty have won Nobel Prizes, Guggenheim Fellowships, MacArthur Fellowships (“genius grants") and other honors and include members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Add to that two new recipients of the National Medal of Science — the highest recognition the United States bestows upon its scientists and engineers.
University of Minnesota Professors R. Lawrence Edwards and David Tilman were among 14 laureates across the nation to be recognized.
Edwards, in the College of Science and Engineering, is a renowned isotope geochemist known for his role in the development of modern uranium-thorium dating methods.
Tilman, in the College of Biological Sciences, is the most highly cited ecologist in the world and a pioneer in biodiversity.
Late University of Minnesota faculty Norman Borlaug and Leonid Hurwicz previously won the National Medal of Science for contributions in plant pathology (2004) and economics (1990), respectively.
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