Our Most-Read Stories That Connect Science and Human Experience
Since the founding of Unknown Focus on August 25, our readers have shown interest in stories that combine scientific discoveries, personal experiences, and societal dilemmas. In 2025 and the beginning of 2026, certain articles stood out, articles that teach, inspire, and sometimes even surprise us. These stories capture what our readers love most: insights into the world around us, and into ourselves.
Our Interviews
Professor Rosa Angela Fabio explores the concept of intellectual humility, the ability to recognize what we do not know and remain open to new knowledge. Professor Rosa Angela Fabio emphasizes that educational systems often overlook this skill, even though it is crucial for dialogue and conflict resolution in modern society.
Emily Delgouffe from Vrije Universiteit Brussel focuses on preserving the fertility of young men undergoing chemotherapy or radiation. Together with her colleagues, she studies how freezing and preserving tissue can allow reproductive function to be restored years later, offering hope to cancer survivors.
Professor Simon Morrison at Princeton examines the works of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and other composers, showing how music reflects social, cultural, and political change. Each melody carries a story about people and their experiences. Professor Morrison reminds us that music can be a powerful tool for understanding how societies think and feel.
Professor Arvi Sepp at VUB explores translation as a bridge between cultures. Translation conveys not just words, but identities, values, and ideas. His work demonstrates how careful translation can shape understanding among people and how language itself is a powerful tool for connection and mutual respect.
The work of Dr. Erman Akkus in Ankara demonstrates how a modern oncology approach centers the patient: through interdisciplinary collaboration, personalized therapies, and team dedication. Akkus’s approach shows how science, empathy, and good communication together can improve outcomes and quality of life, showing that caring deeply is as important as clinical precision.
Luis Espericueta’s study on three years of legalized euthanasia in Spain offers a nuanced look at how patients, families, and healthcare systems navigate one of the most ethically complex decisions in medicine. His work highlights real-world data showing how policy and personal experience intersect in deeply meaningful ways.
Studies and Books
Research into women’s abortion trajectories reveals the complex realities of reproductive decision-making. Belgian researchers show that the process is rarely linear: women navigate emotions, social pressures, and obstacles. Understanding these stories helps shape policies and support systems that truly address human experiences, beyond political debate.
In medicine, the book Humanism in Surgery reminds us that technology alone does not make a good doctor. True medicine requires a combination of expertise and compassion, healing both body and mind. What our readers also paid attention to was a large European study showing that about 40% of lung cancer patients feel they do not receive enough information about their disease. Many have difficulty understanding medical explanations or are not fully involved in treatment decisions. The findings highlight that better and clearer communication between doctors and patients is key to earlier diagnosis, informed choices, and improved quality of care.
We also covered a study from Japan. Japanese researchers found that emotional eating can affect the effectiveness of diabetes treatments such as Ozempic. While most patients experienced improvements in weight and metabolic health, those whose eating was triggered by stress or emotions benefited less. Attention was also drawn to scientific evidence linking Agent Orange exposure to myelodysplastic syndrome, a serious bone marrow disorder. In this article, we spoke with Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, Chief of Hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Environmental stories also captured readers’ attention. Monitoring tunnels in Shanghai using cosmic particles demonstrates how innovative methods can enhance infrastructure safety. Meanwhile, decades-old ocean waste off the coast of Los Angeles and ocean acidification highlight how human activity directly affects ecosystems. A rare botulism outbreak in Japan reminds us that even everyday meals can carry hidden risks.
And we did a little sniffing as well. In the article Sniffing Out the Problem: How Dogs Track Invasive Carp, we spoke with Timothy L. Edwards, corresponding author of the study and director of the University of Waikato’s Scent Detection Research Group, about how dogs can track invasive carp.
Science and humanity go hand in hand
Taken together, these stories remind us that science and humanity go hand in hand. They help us understand ourselves and the world around us, make better decisions, and cultivate empathy for others. From intellectual curiosity and music to medicine and the environment, the most-read stories of 2025 and early 2026 prove that knowledge is most powerful when it connects to human experience.
