  ALMA is revolutionizing the way we study and understand the astrophysics of
galaxies, both as a whole and individually. By exploiting its unique
sensitivity and resolution to make spatially and spectrally resolved images of
the gas and dust in the interstellar medium (ISM), ALMA can reveal new
information about the relationship between stars and gas, during and between
galaxies' cycles of star formation and AGN fueling. However, this can only be
done for a modest number of targets, and thus works in the context of large
samples drawn from other surveys, while providing parallel deep imaging in
small fields around. Recent ALMA highlights are reviewed, and some areas where
ALMA will potentially make great contributions in future are discussed.
