Faraway planet PSR J2322-2650b defies our understanding of planet formation, say UChicago scientists 

Fraunhofer IAF and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy have provided 145 high-performance low-noise amplifiers for the ALMA radio telescope array in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The amplifiers are based on InGaAs mHEMT MMICs and are essential components of the high-frequency receivers for the wavelength range between 2.6 and 4.5 mm (frequency range: 67–116 GHz, known as Band 2). They will enable ALMA to perform more precise measurements of objects and galaxies in the universe in order to gain new information about the formation of stars, planets and life. The amplifiers delivered complete ALMA, which began scientific operations in 2011 and has been gradually expanded since then.

SAN ANTONIO — December 16, 2025 —Southwest Research Institute’s novel Compact Dual Ion Composition Experiment (CoDICE) instrument aboard NASA’s Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) spacecraft has successfully collected first-light data. IMAP launched in September to help researchers better understand the boundary of the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble that surrounds and protects our solar system.

Helium leaks are hard to detect, since it is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and does not react with other chemical substances. In Applied Physics Letters, by AIP Publishing, researchers from Nanjing University developed a device that utilizes sound waves to detect helium. The researchers built a device inspired by a traditional Japanese bamboo weaving technique called “Kagome-biki.” The triangular device also allows the researchers to determine the location of helium leaks in a 2D space and the researchers hopes to expand the device to locate leakage points in 3D space and develop the system into a portable device.

SAN ANTONIO — December 16, 2025 — After less than a year in orbit, the Southwest Research Institute-built PUNCH spacecraft have made major accomplishments, imaging the Sun in context while tracking comets and enormous space weather events as they traveled through the inner solar system. SwRI’s Dr. Craig DeForest discussed the achievements of NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission during a media roundtable at the AGU25 conference on Dec. 16.

Accurate, real-time monitoring of ionospheric dynamics is essential for understanding space weather and protecting satellite-based navigation and communication systems. 

When two black holes merge or two neutron stars collide, gravitational waves can be generated. They spread at the speed of light and cause tiny distortions in space-time. Albert Einstein predicted their existence, and the first direct experimental observation dates from 2015. Now, Prof. Ralf Schützhold, theoretical physicist at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), is going one step further. He has conceived an experiment through which gravitational waves can not only be observed but even manipulated. Published in the journal Physical Review Letters (DOI: 10.1103/xd97-c6d7), the idea could also deliver new insights into the hitherto only conjectured quantum nature of gravity.

Acute sepsis alters how intravenous fluids and vasoactive drugs function in the body. Using a sheep model, researchers examined how sepsis affects the distribution of crystalloid fluids and the effectiveness of vasoactive drugs. Results showed that sepsis reduced urine output, weakened drug responses, and caused fluid to accumulate in the interstitial “third fluid space.” These findings highlight how sepsis disrupts normal fluid regulation, complicating effective fluid and drug management during treatment.