This artist's concept depicts the protoplanet WISPIT 2b accreting matter as it orbits around its star, WISPIT 2. NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
Science
New “Super-Earth” Discovered in Habitable Zone – A newly identified exoplanet, GJ 251 c, is generating excitement among astronomers. Located just 20 light-years away, this “super-Earth” is estimated to be nearly four times the mass of our planet and is likely a rocky world. Most importantly, it orbits within its star’s “Goldilocks Zone,” the region where conditions are right for liquid water to potentially exist on its surface, making it a prime candidate in the search for life.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/11/251113071618.htm
A Flurry of Comets Visit Inner Solar System – November has been a busy month for comet watchers. The third-ever confirmed interstellar comet, 3I/ATLAS, made its reappearance in the pre-dawn sky around November 11. It is traveling on a hyperbolic orbit, meaning it will pass through our solar system once and never return. Close on its heels, amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov (who also discovered the first interstellar comet) spotted C/2025 V1. While initially thought to be interstellar, analysis suggests it is a rare Oort Cloud comet making its very first journey toward the sun, offering scientists a look at pristine material from the dawn of the solar system.
Source (C/2025 V1): https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/c/2025-v1-could-this-mysterious-comet-reveal-secrets-of-our-solar-system/articleshow/125293835.cms
Technology
Valve Announces Three New Steam Hardware Devices – Following the success of the Steam Deck, Valve has announced a new family of hardware set for release in early 2026. The lineup includes a Steam Machine (a console-style PC), a Steam Frame (a standalone VR headset), and an updated Steam Controller.
Source: https://steamdb.info/blog/steam-hardware-2025/
Anthropic Plans $50 Billion AI Data Center Network – AI firm Anthropic has unveiled an ambitious $50 billion plan to construct a massive new network of AI data centers across the United States. The project, in collaboration with Fluidstack, will begin with facilities in Texas and New York to meet the surging global demand for AI infrastructure.
UK Law to Pro-actively Test AI for Child Safety Flaws – The UK government is introducing a new law that will permit tech companies and child safety agencies to legally test AI models for their ability to generate child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The goal is to identify and build in safeguards before the AI is released to the public.
Engineering
Quantum Leap in Diamond-Based Sensing – Physicists have engineered entangled spin systems within diamonds, creating a quantum sensor that surpasses the limits of classical-based sensors. This breakthrough could lead to the development of next-generation quantum sensors that are both significantly more powerful and more compact.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/engineering/ (Headline: “Entangled Spins Give Diamonds a Quantum Advantage”)
New Catalyst Efficiently Converts CO2 into Fuel – Researchers have developed a new copper-magnesium-iron catalyst that can transform carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO), a key building block for clean synthetic fuels. The new catalyst operates at low temperatures and demonstrates record-breaking efficiency and stability.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/engineering/ (Headline: “Turning CO2 Into Clean Fuel Faster and Cheaper”)
CERN Scientist Wins Boeing Quantum Prize – Barbara Latacz, a research scientist at CERN, has been awarded the 2025 Boeing Quantum Creators Prize. The award recognizes her work in developing highly sensitive, quantum-limited technologies used to precisely measure the magnetic moment of the antiproton.
Source: https://home.cern/news/news/experiments/barbara-latacz-awarded-2025-boeing-quantum-creators-prize
Arts
Studio Museum in Harlem Opens New $160M Home – The renowned Studio Museum in Harlem is inaugurating its new, purpose-built home on 125th Street. The $160 million building, designed by Adjaye Associates, nearly doubles the museum’s exhibition space and will house its world-class collection of work by artists of African descent.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/nov/11/harlem-studio-museum-new-home
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Sets 2026 Opening – The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, founded by filmmaker George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, has announced it will officially open its doors in Los Angeles in September 2026.
Source: https://www.theartnewspaper.com/ (Headline: “Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sets September 2026 opening date”)
Government Shutdown Derails Major Art Exhibitions – A recent US government shutdown has forced the delay of at least two major international art exhibitions in Washington D.C., including a landmark show of Korean art at the Smithsonian and the largest-ever exhibition of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art at the National Gallery of Art.
Source: https://D.C.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/art/2025/11/09/shutdown-museums-washington/
Mathematics
Mathematicians Solve Problem in “Soap Film” Geometry – A team of mathematicians has made a significant breakthrough in the study of “minimizing surfaces,” the complex shapes famously formed by soap films. The new proofs provide a way to analyze the “singularities,” or points where these intricate surfaces can break or become irregular.
Source: https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-proofs-probe-soap-film-singularities-20251112/
Professor Dawei Chen Named 2026 AMS Fellow – Boston College mathematics professor Dawei Chen has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. This prestigious honor recognizes his influential contributions to the field of algebraic geometry.
