Jan. 2, 2026, 5:05 a.m. ET
- The spectacular cycle of the cicada saw Brood XIV in focus in 2025.
- Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore shared their odyssey of a lengthy trek aboard the International Space Station.
- The EcoTarium celebrated 200 years of learning, discovery, and a place of exploration for the whole community.
Woo! Science is a column of science news and newsmakers in Worcester and the region. Got a science news idea? Email Margaret Smith at msmith@wickedlocal.com.
For me, one of the greatest journalism experiences of 2025 was the launch, word used deliberately, of Woo! Science, the science column of the Telegram & Gazette, and Worcester Magazine.
With it came several companion articles and columns, including Worcester Magazine’s regular Worcesteria column and Last Call interview, focusing on science in our local community, taking time to learn, wonder and explore. As an editor and reporter I hope always to live as a lifelong learner and explorer. Someone will always have something new to teach me.
Science is like the air: it’s all around us, and sometimes, we have to stop to notice how vital it is. As a journalist who has created several science beats over the years, I think of science as that essential element, that manifests in many ways, and sometimes needs a signal boost.
With that, here is a quick look back on some of my favorite Woo! Science columns, and other coverage from a very full and gratifying year in science.
A homeground space odyssey
Astronauts Sunita Williams, a Needham High School alum, and Eugene “Butch” Wilmore found themselves aboard the International Space Station much longer than intended or desired. But when they returned to Earth March 18, they had a lot to say at a follow-up press conference held March 31 at the Johnson Space Center at Houston, Texas.
When I identified myself as writing for the local Worcester publications, Williams acknowledged this in a way a true local can appreciate, annunciating, “Woohsta.” And we chatted a little, about the thread of history stretching from Worcester native Robert Goddard’s first rocket launch, March 16, 1926 in Auburn, to Williams’ and Wilmore’s own journey, and the ever-unfolding pathway to the stars.
Dumb, deadly vaccine beliefs persist
It has to be said: There isn’t so much a divided view about vaccines as there is correct information versus incorrect information. The persistence of the latter is worrying: were polio and smallpox still around when you were growing up? They were when I was, by then largely conquered, through the imperfect but still effective mechanism of the vaccine.
So, for a Gen Xer, it’s pretty weird to see of all things, measles outbreaks still surfacing, including one in Texas that turned deadly. We turned to the experts, including physician and educator Robert T. Ellison III at UMass Chan Medical School, to help sort out grounded facts versus common misconceptions about vaccines and communicable diseases. As long as vaccines exist, debate will likely surround them. And debate is always good, but a disregard for information and practices that could save lives cries out for a re-examination of our priorities as well as policies.
An important science hub turns 200
From exploration of the delicate network of the human nervous system, to otters, vultures, owls and an inside look at how toilet plumbing works, the EcoTarium marked two centuries of inviting the public to a place to explore and adore science.
Celebrations included a look at how science and nature centers procure items for display and study, and the tangled history that can include the process of returning many artifacts to indigenous peoples.
From its beginning as a lyceum to a nexus of exploration for all generations, the EcoTarium’s got it covered, and has served as a place where Woo! Science goes to delve into mysteries of space, the Earth, and all the creatures that dwell among us, including those that reigned supreme long before human beings emerged as a thing.
Cicadas were stirring
Insects are a charismatic lot overall, and possess a knack for getting into the news, often accompanied by questions as to whether they bite, sting, carry off poodles, or make a hash of backyard vegetable gardens. Cicadas don’t really do any of these things, but they know how to turn up the wow with their flamboyant appearance and near-mythical life cycle.
This summer saw the periodic, 17-year emergence of cicadas, and along with it, speculation by humans as to what happens when lots and lots of insects show up all at once. This year’s brood, dubbed Brood XIV, found themselves making a scene particularly in the Cape and southeast area of Massachusetts, as well as locations in many other eastern and mid-Atlantic states.
One thing large groups of insects do well as make humans stop and think about insects, and our own feelings about them. We think often in terms of “good” and “bad” insects, with “good” generally meaning attractive, non-threatening, or serving a role such as pollination, or food for other living creatures. “Bad” insects are the ones that haunt our primal brain, with visions of crops stripped bare, a sun darkened by a great, buzzing cloud, or in the worst cases, severe stinging.
Assessing a potential threat is coded into our DNA. But, as the cicadas and indeed other living beings showed us this year, we’re not alone, our planet is a crowded place, and learning and understanding usually provides more capital, healthwise, economicwise, and otherwise.
Reptiles rocked the spotlight
If you take a pet monitor lizard that’s not supposed to be a pet in the first place, and that monitor lizard decides to hit the trail for better digs, it won’t be long before that monitor lizard will net an epic following on social media, including memes showing it turning up at local eateries. Such was the case for Goose, who in July went missing from Webster Lake’s Blueberry Lane vicinity, and soon found himself a pop culture icon, his traveler’s tales breathlessly followed until his safe capture in August. Goose has a new career as an animal ambassador for Rainforest Reptiles, and has appeared at the local library, and is now exploring the arts, with paintings of his footprints.
It was joyful story to follow, but one that put a spotlight on how a growing popularity of reptiles and exotic animals as pets can sometimes led to their improper care. This was also seen in the case of Charles, a juvenile alligator found in November in the Charles River. If you are a juvenile alligator, the Charles River in November is not where you want to be. The point is, an animal’s appeal doesn’t translate into great domestic companion, unless all the boxes are checked, and this includes reptiles, but really, all animals.
Animals will surely always count among our teachers. As 2025 comes to a close, there’s lots to look ahead to in 2026, including challenges in climate, public health, the environment, and a very special centennary: Robert Goddard, that lovable scamp who set his family’s cherry tree alight, and who in March 2026, as we chatted about earlier in this column, launched a rocket that continues to launch our dreams and visions.
Thanks for making the journey with us.