A wide-orbit giant planet in the high-mass b Centauri binary system.

Planet formation occurs around a wide range of stellar masses and stellar system architectures. An improved understanding of the formation process can be achieved by studying it across the full parameter space, particularly towards the extremes. Earlier studies of planets in close-in orbits around high-mass stars have revealed an increase in giant planet frequency with increasing stellar mass until a turnover point at 1.

A measurement of the wind speed on a brown dwarf.

Zonal (latitudinal) winds dominate the bulk flow of planetary atmospheres. For gas giant planets such as Jupiter, the motion of clouds can be compared with radio emissions from the magnetosphere, which is connected to the planet's interior, to determine the wind speed. In principle, this technique can be applied to brown dwarfs and/or directly imaged exoplanets if periods can be determined for both the infrared and radio emissions.

The UK Centre for Astrobiology: A Virtual Astrobiology Centre. Accomplishments and Lessons Learned, 2011-2016.

The UK Centre for Astrobiology (UKCA) was set up in 2011 as a virtual center to contribute to astrobiology research, education, and outreach. After 5 years, we describe this center and its work in each of these areas. Its research has focused on studying life in extreme environments, the limits of life on Earth, and implications for habitability elsewhere.

Synergy testing by Etest, microdilution checkerboard, and time-kill methods for pan-drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii.

Pan-drug-resistant (PDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen that poses therapeutic challenges. Tigecycline alone or in combination with agents such as colestimethate, imipenem, and/or amikacin is being used clinically to treat PDR A. baumannii infections.

A dynamical calibration of the mass-luminosity relation at very low stellar masses and young ages.

Mass is the most fundamental parameter of a star, yet it is also one of the most difficult to measure directly. In general, astronomers estimate stellar masses by determining the luminosity and using the 'mass-luminosity' relationship, but this relationship has never been accurately calibrated for young, low-mass stars and brown dwarfs. Masses for these low-mass objects are therefore constrained only by theoretical models.