It is 6.30 in the morning and your alarm clock is blaring. Downstairs your parents are making breakfast. The kettle boils and the toaster pops. The radio news reports war in Ukraine, the fallout from the elections, and the latest from the Euros.

No matter the day of the week, science rarely appears in the headlines. But, some of the most exciting stories are taking place in laboratories.

Full marks for a new drug. In total, 1.3 million people became infected with HIV in 2022, many of them young women. But a new drug gave 100% protection in a recent trial.¹

Piggy kidney transplant. Earlier this year, doctors successfully gave genetically modified pig kidneys to three patients with serious kidney disease. ²

Test tube rhinos. Last year, scientists used IVF for a southern white rhino, resulting in a successful pregnancy.³ It could prevent the species from dying out.

Restoring reefs. Warming oceans are destroying coral reefs around the world, but American scientists have created stronger strains of coral that might help save them.⁴

AI for ET. Scientists have trained an AI algorithm to tell the difference between biological and non-biological samples. It could one day find evidence of aliens.

The pandemic showed the importance of scientific understanding. According to the Wellcome Trust, a respected medical research charity, it also "boosted public trust in science and scientists."⁶ That will be vital for tackling challenges such as the climate crisis.

However, much research is difficult for non-scientists to understand. And single studies often struggle to get the same results when repeated. This is known as the replication crisis.⁷

People do not choose careers in science because they want to become famous. However, breakthroughs such as the ones above deserve to be recognised by everybody.

Is science underrated?

Yes: Scientific stories rarely make the front pages of newspapers. However, issues such as the pandemic, the climate crisis and AI show that science matters more than ever.

No: Science matters, but that does not mean it should dominate the news. Non-scientists can struggle to understand research, while promising single studies can be difficult to replicate.

Or... Scientists do not conduct research in order to become famous. However, as more people study sciences at university, public interest in their work will grow.