The benefits of elderberry juice, the recreation of an ancient hue, and a clarion call about declining butterfly populations - these were among the Washington State University research discoveries that received the most news coverage in 2025.
In a year of great variety among the most-covered scientific topics out of WSU, studies focusing on health and the natural world were among the top performers. Also popular: stories highlighting work advancing green technologies such as biofuels and lithium-sulfur batteries.
The potential exposure was significant, with each of the most popular discoveries generating coverage that could have been viewed hundreds of millions of times.
Using the Meltwater media tracking software, University Marketing and Communications analyzed media coverage of 84 press releases about WSU research from 2025. Potential audience reach provides a rough estimate of how many times coverage could have been seen, rather than the number of people who actually saw it. The number tends to be quite large because many media outlets have overlapping audiences.
Below are the top 10 leading research stories of 2025, along with potential reach figures and the highest-profile media outlets providing coverage. The top 10 list is followed by links to the complete list of research press releases from 2025, ranked in descending order of potential audience reach.
Elderberry juice shows benefits for weight management, metabolic health
Potential audience: 1.7 billion, 362 mentions
New York Post, U.S. News & World Report, Fox News, The Independent
News outlets across the globe took notice of this research on the underappreciated elderberry, a small purple berry found on elder trees native to Europe that was shown to have potential for weight management and improved metabolic health. In clinical trial led by researchers in WSU's Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine and published in the journal Nutrients, scientists found that drinking 12 ounces of elderberry juice daily for a week caused positive changes in the gut microbiome and other health benefits, including enhanced fat-burning.
Bat viruses similar to MERS have potential to jump to humans
Potential audience: 973 million, 133 mentions
Daily Mail, Sunday Mirror, The Times of India
At a time of a heightened worldwide attention to coronaviruses, this WSU-led study identifying a potential risk of viruses moving from bats to humans drew significant media attention. The work out of the College of Veterinary Medicine showed that a group of bat viruses closely related to the deadly Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, coronavirus may be one small mutation away from being able to move into human populations and potentially cause the next pandemic. The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, examined the understudied group of coronaviruses known as merbecoviruses.
Researchers recreate ancient Egyptian blues
Potential audience: 963 million, 422 mentions
Forbes, Smithsonian Magazine, Popular Science
A fascinating case of the blues caught the attention of journalists and the public in 2025. WSU researchers led a team that recreated the world's oldest synthetic pigment, a hue called Egyptian blue that was used in ancient Egypt about 5,000 years ago. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute and published in the journal NPJ Heritage Science. Researchers used a range of raw materials and heating times to develop 12 recipes for pigments, comparing them to two ancient artifacts, to find a match.
Blood-powered toes give salamanders an arboreal edge
Potential audience: 953 million, 68 mentions
A study led by WSU shined a light on the biological mechanism that allows wandering salamanders to climb and glide through coastal redwood forests: the ability to rapidly fill and drain blood from the tips of their distinctive square toes. This process, described in a paper published in the Journal of Morphology, allows the small amphibians to attach and detach from surfaces quickly as they move through the crowns of the world's tallest trees.
Researchers recycle wind turbine blade materials to make improved plastics
Potential reach: 720 million, 51 mentions
The first generation of wind turbine blades are reaching the end of their lifespans, and WSU researchers came up with a green way to recycle them to create stronger plastics. Typically, harsh chemicals are used to recover high-strength glass fibers and resins from turbine blades. In a paper published in the journal Resource, Conservation, and Recycling, WSU researchers demonstrated a greener method: soaking the blade material in a bath of low-toxicity organic salt in pressurized superheated water to break it down. It can then be repurposed for use in plastic products.
U.S. butterfly populations are severely declining
Potential audience: 652 million, 160 mentions
New York Times, Earth.com, El Pais, SciTechDaily
The distressing news about declining U.S. butterfly populations was big news around the world. This paper, published in the journal Science, was the most comprehensive survey of trends in the American butterfly population ever undertaken, and it showed that the total abundance of butterflies declined by 22% from 2000 to 2020. Ten times as many species showed declines as increases, with 107 species declining by more than 50% and 22 declining by more than 90%.
Strength connected to sexual behavior of women as well as men
Potential reach: 523 million, 63 mentions
New York Post, Daily Mail, SciTechDaily
The evolutionary link between strength and reproductive success is well-studied - for men. A WSU study last year found that it was also true for women, showing that women with greater upper-body strength tended to have more sexual partners over their lifetime compared to their peers. That was a surprise result from a study, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, designed to test evolutionary theories for human sexual dimorphism - namely the idea that in early human history there was likely a reproductive advantage for men's greater upper body strength.
Regular access to therapy dogs boosts students' mental health
Potential reach: 465 million, 102 mentions
Students at WSU found that they experienced less stress and depression when they spent a little time interacting with therapy dogs, compared to those who did not. That was the finding from a study that examined how regular access to the university's animal-assisted drop-in program affected the mental health of first-year students. The study, published in the journal Pets, found that students who engaged with therapy dogs in repeated, unstructured sessions over several months not only reported lower stress and depression levels, but also showed increased self-compassion.
Corn leads to improved performance in lithium-sulfur batteries
Potential reach: 448 million, 45 mentions
Scientists found a way to improve the performance of environmentally friendly lithium-sulfur batteries from an unexpected source: corn. Using a protective barrier made of corn protein, the WSU researchers found that they could significantly extend the life cycle of a button-sized lithium-sulfur battery. The work has implications for expanding the use of high-energy, lightweight batteries in electric cars, renewable energy storage and other applications.
Feline therapy: Study suggests cats could fill an assistive niche
Potential audience: 372 million, 111 mentions
While therapy dogs have become more common as way to help people cope with emotional stress, a study showed that there may be a role for cats in the world of animal-assisted services, as well. Not all cats are suited for a therapeutic role, but the paper by a WSU researcher in conjunction with researchers in Belgium found that some cats share some key traits with therapy dogs, such as high sociability and a wiliness to engage with people.
- WSU-led study identifies association between prenatal factors and childhood obesity
- Prime apple-growing areas face increasing climate risks
- Study finds altering one brain area could rid alcohol withdrawal symptoms
- Key to the riddle of sleep may be linked to bacteria
- Plant-based substitute for fossil fuels developed for plastic foams
- Scientists discover new way to convert corn waste into low-cost sugar for biofuel
- Study points way to more efficient liquid hydrogen tanks
- Wild spinach offers path to breed disease resistance into cultivated varieties
- Study: College women face greater risk of sexual violence than others
- 3D-printed antenna arrays developed for flexible wireless systems
- High schoolers face growing risk of firearm-related violence
- Study reveals wealth inequality's deep roots in human prehistory
- During volatile times, investors should track insider trades
- 3D printing technology improves comfort, durability of smart wearables
- WSU team unlocks biological process behind coho die-offs
- Rats may seek cannabis to cope with stress, WSU research finds
- WSU-led paper shows promising cover crop benefits
- Researchers design robot that can pick hidden strawberries
- WSU researcher pioneers new study model with clues to anti-aging
- Researchers use smart watches to better understand human activity
- WSU project reduces hospitalizations among home health care patients
- Value-added pancakes: WSU using science to improve nutrition of breakfast staple
- Bacteria hijack tick cell defenses to spread disease
- New WSU study shows how scarcity pricing helps 'cult wineries' drive demand
- New tech for managing type 1 diabetes is effective for older adults
- New study looks at nostalgia, comfort in food preparation for older adults
- Even the best sales pitch can fail in the wrong setting
- WSU study shows travelers are dreaming forward, not looking back
- Method can detect harmful sales forming in nuclear waste melters
- Hospitals linked to antibiotic resistance in Guatemala
- Positive framing steers shoppers to premium products
- Microwave technologies give hummus longer shelf life, eliminate preservatives
- Hidden signatures of ancient Rome's master craftsmen revealed
- Paper sensors and smartphone app monitor personal smoke exposure
- Colorful, 'healthy' branding makes cannabis edibles appealing to teens
- Modulating key interaction prevents virus from entering cells
- Study: Emotional responses crucial to attitudes about self-driving cars
- In the Maya rainforest, even the jaguars pose for the camera
- Study: To battle tip fatigue, businesses should make their service efforts visible
- Disease-causing bacteria can deal with stink as long as they get a meal
- WSU study projects increases in lightning, wildfire risk
- Genetic test detects early signs of kidney disease in cats
- Targeting a specific brain circuit may help prevent opioid relapse
- Study links childhood vaccination to lower risk of drug-resistant bacteria
- New test can flag drugs that could be harmful to cats
- New pollen-replacing food for honey bees brings new hope for survival
- WSU veterinarians get creative to bring cannabis-eating ferret back to health
- Study questions water safety beliefs
- Bat cells could aid in fighting humans' most deadly diseases
- Bees thrive in overlooked pockets of Puget Sound
- Prenatal cannabis exposure delays reproductive development in offspring
- Once bitten, animals develop resistance that shrinks tick population
- Modeling method provides smarter way to predict customer demand
- Study finds gaps in books on consent education for children
- Early planting to avoid heat doesn't match current spring wheat production
- Sudan Ebola virus can persist in survivors for months, WSU study shows
- Future teachers - and professors who prepare them - want more AI guidance
- 'Beaver mimicry' shows range of ecological benefits
- Layered semiconductor shows potential for next-gen data storage
- Researchers watch a single catalytic grain do work in real time
- The kids are hungry: Juvenile European green crabs just as damaging as adults, WSU study finds
- Study suggests a new way to curb social media's body image toll
- Emotional expressions shape how help is received in the workplace
- WSU researchers develop machine learning model to predict virus reservoirs
- WSU study offers detailed look at declining groundwater in regional aquifer system
- Youth facing homelessness more likely to see a healthcare provider if their pet can too
- Serendipitous discovery could lead to more efficient catalysts
- Wine scientists show pre- and post-fermentation alcohol adjustments have comparable results
- Blue-green algae poses deadly risk to pets during summer heat
- Men with passive news habits fall for health misinformation
- New study takes long-term look at how biochar and hemp improve yields, crops
- When politics drives entrepreneurial innovation
- Sensors could help reduce fatal racehorse injuries by 20%
- Exaggerated claims help online businesses sell faster but for less
