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 (3I/ATLAS): https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/3i/atlas-set-to-reappear-on-11-november-2025-how-to-see-the-rare-interstellar-visitor-and-what-it-reveals-about-deep-space/articleshow/125205505.cms

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.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/ai-boom-anthropic-to-invest-50-billion-in-us-data-centre-network-with-fluidstack-texas-and-new-york-first-in-line/articleshow/125279353.cms

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.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/12/tech-companies-child-safety-agencies-test-ai-tools-abuse-images-ability

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.

Source: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/sites/bc-news/articles/2025/fall/dawei-chen-named-american-mathematical-society-fellow.html

The post STEAM news roundup: Habitable planet discovered, Anthropic’s $50B AI plan, and new comets spotted appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.

When people are asked about the time in their life when they realized what career they wanted to go into, many are able to pinpoint the exact moment when they had their epiphany. While science and medicine was something I was always drawn to, I only began to consider it as a career path during my sophomore year of high school when I was exposed to courses such as anatomy and physiology and pharmacology. These classes gave me the confidence and sustained interest needed to be able to pursue medicine as my future career. However, I had this epiphany just in the knick of time as college applications were due the following year. I often find myself wondering if I would have realized my love of science sooner, and been able to take advantage of more opportunities, if I had more exposure to it as a younger child.

New Jersey, in general, has made great strides for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, but has its efforts been enough to encourage more young women to pursue STEM? In 2021, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed an act that focused on minimizing the STEM gender gap. This act aimed to increase the number of STEM outreach programs for young women and increase the number of STEM educators and faculty in New Jersey schools. The act also intended to increase the number of resources available to young women to help encourage them to pursue higher STEM education. 

Despite being enacted early on in my high school career, this bill seemed to have no impact on my school and others around it, especially considering that there was a persistent teacher shortage and an overall lack of STEM programs available to students. Though this act, and others like it, seem as though they put New Jersey on the right track for increasing female participation in STEM, the reality is that progress just isn’t being made. 

Women still only represent 27% of STEM workers nationally, further indicating that this legislation is not having its intended effect. This already meager percentage is only expected to decrease in upcoming years as the interest in STEM of Generation Z girls, those born between 1997 and 2011, plummets. 

According to an article published in CNN, 85% of young men said that they were interested in at least one sector of STEM, while only 63% of young women said the same. When questioned about why they weren’t interested in the field, a majority of young women stated that they believed they wouldn’t be good at STEM, representing a lack of associated confidence within younger generations. Despite being a national issue, this overall lack of confidence applies to young New Jersey women who might want to pursue a career in STEM as well. 

In June of 2023, a panel discussion was held between several prominent female New Jersey STEM leaders. One of the panelists, Dr. Vojislava Pophristic, Dean of Rowan University’s College of Science and Mathematics, explained that she believes that if more opportunities are provided for young girls K-12, there would be an increase in women pursuing STEM as a career later on in life. Specifically, Dean Pophristic recommends exposing young individuals to how meaningful and impactful STEM can be through mentorship programs.. If more of these programs were widely available, it is likely that young women would become inspired and see that women can excel in STEM. 

Dean Pophristic additionally mentioned how certain sectors of STEM have different sex breakdowns. Sectors such as math and computer science generally see more male participation while biology often sees more female participation, a trend I observed in my own high school. For instance, out of roughly 20 students in my AP Biology class, only 3 were male. However, in one of the AP Computer Science classes offered, only about 2 or 3 students were female. 

As Dean Pophristic further pointed out in the discussion, STEM, regardless of the sector, has been historically dominated by white men, a trend that obviously needs to be changed. However, as white men have been the leaders of STEM for so long, it begs the question of where does this bias, that has been keeping others from being equally represented in STEM, originate? 

A potential origin for STEM gender bias may lie within some of the youngest members of the population, children in kindergarten to third grade. A study that looked into the beliefs held by these children had some alarming findings. Primarily, children of both sexes believed men to be more competent than women in STEM, with 62% of boys stating that STEM was their favorite subject and only 37% of girls stating the same. Kim Eslesser, a gender bias expert who discusses the study in a recent Forbes article, proposes a solution that has the potential to work at the local, New Jersey level. She suggests that providing more role models, women with careers in STEM, to young girls could boost confidence and change biased perceptions. Additionally, she indicates that encouraging young girls to pretend to be scientists during play time could also help promote STEM confidence in younger populations, a solution that New Jersey schools could easily implement in their classrooms to stop gender bias at its potential root. 

Furthermore, though all women are underrepresented in STEM, women of color are even more underrepresented than white women. An article written by Marisa Peñaloza, a senior producer at NPR, about the National STEM Festival in Washington D.C., helps to highlight how young non-white women can feel even more dissuaded from pursuing STEM than young white women. One of the individuals that Peñaloza interviewed, the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MIT stated that “women of color face the most challenges and harassment, both explicit and implicit”. 

One of the youth presenters at the festival, Treyonna Sullivan, described her own personal experiences with her place in STEM. She stated that she felt discouraged after seeing the background of her competitors, but then described how having Black mentors and seeing other Black youth there inspired her, helping to improve her confidence in her abilities. Sullivan’s story provides further support for the benefits of increasing the number of mentors available for young women in STEM and shows that to have the most impact on young women, mentors of diverse backgrounds are needed. 

The bottom line is that while New Jersey has taken measures to encourage gender equality in STEM for women of all backgrounds, advancements just aren’t being made. As STEM is a field that has always been primarily male dominated, it is devastating to see that more women still have yet to to take their rightful place at the forefront of scientific innovation and success. Since a lot of the current programs and bills introduced in New Jersey, that target girls in middle and high school, have been largely ineffective, it is time New Jersey turns its attention to even younger girls. If New Jersey  is able to increase mentorship opportunities and find ways to successfully eliminate bias within younger populations, inspire younger girls, and sustain their inspiration throughout their high school years, STEM participation, interest, and confidence will skyrocket, creating an environment where all girls can flourish and realize their interest in STEM early on in life. 

Olivia Loguidice is a biological sciences major at Rowan University who plans to pursue a career in medicine. She has a passion for female representation in STEM. 

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Here’s ChatGPT’s take:

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is an acronym used to describe a field of study that focuses on these four disciplines. STEM education aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to pursue careers in these fields.

On the other hand, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. It is an expansion of the STEM acronym by adding an “A” for Arts. The idea behind STEAM is to integrate art and design into the traditional STEM subjects to provide a more holistic and well-rounded education. STEAM education aims to equip students with not only technical skills but also creative and critical thinking skills that are essential for success in a variety of fields.

While both STEM and STEAM education are aimed at preparing students for careers in technical fields, STEAM education recognizes the importance of creativity and design in these fields. It emphasizes the importance of art and design in the development of new technologies and innovations.

https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt

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It’s a complete robot kit, save for two AAA batteries for the remote and an app you need to download for your iOS- or Android-based device if you want more sophisticated control. The building blocks are based on the LEGO standard, so this makes for a great addition if you already have those ubiquitous bricks or want to get some in the future to expand.

In the box are six bags of building blocks, a smart creative module, USB charging cable, remote control, stickers, building instructions, and operating instructions. The building instructions follow LEGO’s lead and use numbered visual diagrams to help guide assembly, but they don’t do as good of a job – or any job for that matter – with directing you to the correct numbered bags. And that presents this kit’s biggest issue.

You see, while this kit is purportedly designed for ages 7 – 12 based on the box, and ages 8 – 12 for some reason based on the product page, I suspect there are few children in that age group who won’t have trouble building this kit even with parental guidance. I mean, I know I’m not the best with these kinds of things, but I couldn’t make heads nor tails of this kit on the first try with my almost 7-year-old. As time permits, I’ll try and involve my wife for us to try and figure out the obtuse instructions, but I’m not terribly optimistic without us investing a considerable amount of time and trial and error.

Again, the big issue here is that while there are bags numbered 2 – 7 (no 1), the building instructions don’t indicate which bag a particular instructional step is talking about. In fact, while the bricks in the manual are color-coded, unless you jump between bags, there’s no way you’re matching them in sequential order. And to put things into further perspective, there are 102 total steps in the building instructions. That’s not a bad thing if you really want a project to dive into, but in no way is this 468 piece kit “Beginner for AGES 7-12” like the front of the box indicates and will surely frustrate kids on the younger end of the age range even with parental help.

Here’s the thing, though. This kit is relatively low in price for the features on offer. So I definitely want to build this and put it through its paces, and I definitely want our almost 7-year-old daughter to have fun operating it. Unfortunately, I don’t see much chance of her having the patience to sit through its ultimate construction.

Bottom line is if you’re aware of the challenges here, this kit does have great potential. Just do yourself a favor and don’t buy this if you’re expecting to spend a single evening building it with your child.

The post First Look at CIRO Education Wallbot STEM Kit appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.

Make games with STEM! We’ve teamed up with SoftWeir for our newest bundle that’s all about video game creation. Get software and resources like 001 Basics E-Book + E-Learning Home Assignments, 001 Game Creator – Dragons Den Resource Pack, 001 Game Creator – MMORPG Kit, 001 Game Creator – 3D FPS / Survival Horror Kit, SoftWeir Item Design Worksheet, and 001 Game Creator. Plus, your purchase will support two charitable organizations: Ablegamers and the Movember Foundation!

About the developer. Mike Weir, the owner and creator of SoftWeir Inc, draws on his more than 25 years of programming experience combined with his challenges living with a visual disability as a driving force to push his entire team to make 001 Game Creator accessible to all audiences who don’t have any experience with programming and coding. For over 15 years, this engine has been simplifying programming into visually-appealing scripts and providing high-quality developer tools to its growing community. Many influential games are still being built in this user-friendly engine that comes with numerous customizable and pre-designed assets, tools, characters, maps, environments, sound effects, and music. The 001 Game Creator team has also been delivering online support and educational documents for all users to succeed in making their dream creation. The owner has collaborated with team members from all over the world including Canada, United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Brazil and Norway to name a few. We continue to develop and bring great software packages that anyone can use.

Pay $1 or more. Normally, the total cost for the software in this bundle is as much as $344. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Redeem your keys. The software in this bundle is available on Steam for Windows. Please check out the full system requirements here prior to purchasing.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the developer, Ablegamers, and the Movember Foundation via PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The post Create your own video games using STEM – Pay what you want! appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.

Learn how to program – the Makers way! Get ebooks like Making Makers, AVR Programming, Make: Arduino Bots and Gadgets, Make: Linux for Makers, and more. Plus, pay what you want and a portion of your purchase supports Maker Ed and a charity of your choice!

Pay $1 or more. Normally, the total cost for the ebooks in this bundle is as much as $455. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. The ebooks in this bundle are available in PDF, MOBI, and ePub formats, so they work on your computer, e-readers, iPads, cell phones, and a wide array of mobile devices! Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher and MakerEd via PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The post Pay what you want for the Humble Book Bundle: Programming for Makers appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.

Humble Book Bundle: Fun with STEM by Adams Media

Having fun with STEM. Dive into fun with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in our newest bundle from Adams Media! Get ebooks like Everything STEM Handbook, Physics of Star Wars, Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments, and 100 Things to See in the Night Sky. Plus, your purchase will support the Book Industry Charitable Foundation!

Pay $1 or more. Normally, the total cost for the ebooks in this bundle is as much as $434. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. The ebooks in this bundle are available in PDF, MOBI, and ePub formats, so they work on your computer, e-readers, iPads, cell phones, and a wide array of mobile devices! Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher and Book Industry Charitable Foundation (Binc) via PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The post Just $1 for ebooks like Everything STEM Handbook, Physics of Star Wars, Dad’s Book of Awesome Science Experiments, and 100 Things to See in the Night Sky! appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.

Time to get your hands dirty. We’ve teamed up with Chronicle Books and Princeton Architectural Press for our newest bundle to get your creative juices flowing! Craft, build, stitch, or assemble your next project with ebooks like How to Make It, World of Geekcraft, How to Build a Hovercraft, and more. Plus, your purchase will support Book Industry Charitable Foundation!

Pay $1 or more. Normally, the total cost for the ebooks in this bundle is as much as $490. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. The ebooks in this bundle are available in PDF, MOBI, PRC, and ePub formats, so they work on your computer, e-readers, iPads, cell phones, and a wide array of mobile devices! Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher and Book Industry Charitable Foundation via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The post Pay what you want for the Humble Book Bundle: Build It Yourself by Chronicle Books & Princeton Architectural Press appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.

Here’s the link!

This bundle is a four-in-one. Delve into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with a library of ebooks from Mercury Learning and Information. Get Quantum Mechanics, Radar Systems and Radio Aids to Navigation, Artificial Intelligence and Problem Solving, Network Security and Cryptography, Numerical Methods in Engineering and Science (C, C++, and MATLAB), and more.

Pay $1 or more. Normally, the total cost for the ebooks in this bundle is as much as $1,075. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. The ebooks in this bundle are available in PDF, MOBI, and ePub formats, so they work on your computer, e-readers, iPads, cell phones, and a wide array of mobile devices! Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher and Whale and Dolphin Conservation via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

The post Pay what you want for The Humble Book Bundle: STEM by Mercury Learning appeared first on fullSTEAMahead365.