Broad astrophysical impacts of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observations through the fourth observing run

The fourth observing run of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA is ongoing, relying on the most sensitive network of gravitational-wave interferometers to date. With the substantial increase in detector sensitivity, there is an increased chance of discovery and a substantial improvement in the precision of astrophysical analyses. In this talk, I will discuss the astrophysical impacts of LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA observations through the fourth observing run across the wide range of different sources targeted by ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Through the lens of public results, I will discuss what we expect to learn from recent gravitational-wave observations and how astrophysical analyses of the current data will compare to previous runs.