Wealth inequality has bedeviled society for centuries, and in many places around the globe, the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to grow. To help shed light on some of the forces at work in this challenging issue, the latest book by Caltech's Jean-Laurent Rosenthal (PhD '88), the Rea A. and Lela G. Axline […]

A new study published by the Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS), in collaboration with Caltech, Rutgers University, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed by Caltech for NASA, presents a roadmap for simultaneously combining data on the abundance of greenhouses gases with data on winds to better pinpoint emission sources. The findings […]

Brian Stoltz, the Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, has been awarded this year's Shirley M. Malcom Prize for Excellence in Mentoring.The annual prize, first established in 2021 and named for Shirley Malcom, a senior trustee at Caltech, was created to recognize and celebrate the important role mentors […]

A trio of Caltech faculty members have been selected to receive the 2026 Sloan Research Fellowship: Elias Most, assistant professor of theoretical astrophysics; Huy Tuan Pham, assistant professor of mathematics and Rosenberg Scholar; and Lingfu Zhang, assistant professor of mathematics.Awarded annually since 1955, the fellowships honor "early-career researchers whose creativity, innovation, and research accomplishments make […]

Sarah Reisman, Bren Professor of Chemistry and Norman Davidson Leadership Chair of the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, has been awarded this year's Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching, Caltech's highest teaching prize.Reisman's research focuses on the chemical synthesis of organic molecules produced in nature by bacteria, fungi, or plants, and seeks […]

Scientists sifting through archival data captured by NASA's former NEOWISE mission found an unusual star that quickly disappeared, fading to nothing more than a wispy shell. Their conclusion: The star, a dying supergiant named M31-2014-DS1 located in the Andromeda Galaxy, imploded into a black hole instead of undergoing the more common scenario in which a […]

Caltech's Joseph E. Shepherd (PhD '81) and Shouleh Nikzad (PhD '90), chief technologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), have been elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). The 2026 class, which includes 130 members and 28 international members, was announced on February 10.Membership in the NAE is an honor afforded to […]

Parker Thompson, a second-year undergraduate in applied and computational mathematics, secretary of the Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology (ASCIT), and a peer advocate, died on February 3, 2026. He was 19 years old.In a note to the Caltech community, President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor […]

The planets in our solar system grew out of a disk of material that swirled around our Sun. Inner rocky planets formed as tiny grains stuck together, becoming pebbles, then boulders, and, ultimately, full-grown planets. The outer gas and ice giant planets also accumulated cores of rocky material, which then attracted halos of cooler gas […]

Earth's biosphere is brimming with symbiotic relationships: from bacteria that became our cells' mitochondria, to mycorrhizal fungi that help plants grow, to the myriad mites, wasps, worms, and flies that make a living by parasitizing other animals.Symbiosis often appears to be a one-way street: When it evolves, there is no going back as symbionts become […]