HKU astrophysics research captures 130 years of evolution of a dying star
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 29-Dec-2025 18:11 ET (29-Dec-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)
The European Space Agency-led Solar Orbiter mission has split the flood of energetic particles flung out into space from the Sun into two groups, tracing each back to a different kind of outburst from our star.
Prof Heidi Newberg is an astrophysicist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Her research focuses primarily on understanding the structure of our own galaxy through using stars. In a newly published Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences article, she and her co-authors lay out the case that a telescope with a rectangular mirror, rather than a roughly circular one as is used in traditional telescopes, could provide a clearer path to discovering habitable worlds. In the following guest editorial, she highlights the feasibility and advantages of this design.
The Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing American scientific and technological leadership, today announced that the application for the 2026 Hertz Fellowship is now open. The Hertz Fellowship is one of the most competitive and coveted awards for doctoral students in applied sciences, engineering and mathematics. Hertz Fellows receive up to five years of funding, giving them freedom from the traditional constraints of graduate training and the independence needed to pursue groundbreaking research. They also gain lifelong professional support, including mentoring, events and networking opportunities.
Middle-ear effusion (MEE)—fluid trapped behind the eardrum—can quietly erode hearing, often without pain or fever. In a breakthrough simulation study, researchers used a finely tuned finite element (FE) model of the human ear to mimic six levels of MEE, from barely present to completely filling the cavity. The results reveal a tipping point: when fluid occupies less than half the middle ear space, hearing loss is minimal, averaging about 3 dB. But once it passes the 50% mark, sound transmission plummets, energy absorbance (EA) rates collapse below 20%, and hearing loss can soar to nearly 46 dB. This “fluid threshold” could sharpen diagnostic accuracy and guide timely treatment.
A study led by Jenny Frediani at Stockholm University has revealed a planet-forming disk with a strikingly unusual chemical composition: an unexpectedly high abundance of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in regions where Earth-like planets may one day form. The discovery, made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), challenges long-standing assumptions about the chemistry of planetary birthplaces. The study is published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.