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Cosmic blowtorches: How quasars shut down star formation in the early universe

A team at the University of Arizona discovered exceptionally fast and powerful galactic winds from quasars a billion years after the Big Bang. These winds could have caused galaxies to lose gas supplies, effectively shutting down star formation. The study suggests that quasars with extreme outflows were more common in the early univers...

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalNature·TypeObservational study·DateMay 7, 2026

Dark matter could explain earliest supermassive black holes

A study led by University of California, Riverside graduate student Yash Aggarwal suggests that dark matter decays could have seeded the direct collapse of galaxies into giant black holes. The research found that a window of dark matter masses between 24 and 27 electronvolts could produce conditions for black hole formation.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateApr 15, 2026

‘Death by a thousand cuts’: Young galaxy ran out of fuel as black hole choked off supplies

Astronomers have spotted an ancient galaxy that was slowly starved of fuel by a supermassive black hole. The galaxy's lack of cold gas prevented it from forming new stars, despite its relatively young age. Repeated episodes of heating and gas removal by the black hole likely drained the galaxy's fuel in as little as 16-220 million years.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJan 12, 2026

Development history of the universe is being rewritten based on a bachelor’s project from NBI

A team of researchers has observed a massive galaxy cluster that challenges existing models of the universe's evolution. The cluster's unusual structure and high density of cold, neutral hydrogen gas suggest a different history than previously thought. This discovery raises questions about the fate of large structures in the universe.

SourceUniversity of Copenhagen·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJan 9, 2026

Stardust study resets how life’s atoms spread through space

A team of astronomers has discovered that the winds of giant stars like R Doradus are driven by complex processes, rather than being powered solely by starlight and stardust. The study used advanced computer simulations to model how starlight interacts with dust grains, finding that they are too small to be pushed outward by starlight ...

SourceChalmers University of Technology·JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics·TypeObservational study·DateDec 22, 2025

Astronomers challenge 50-year-old quasar law

New research reveals the structure of matter surrounding supermassive black holes has changed over cosmic time, challenging a fundamental assumption about their behavior. The study combines new X-ray observations to explore the relation between X-ray and ultraviolet light intensity of an unprecedentedly large sample of quasars.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateDec 11, 2025

‘Messy’ galaxies in the early universe struggled to settle

Researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to study young galaxies in the early universe, finding most were turbulent and 'clumpy'. Despite this chaos, galaxy dynamics show a gradual transition towards ordered structures, suggesting that galaxies like our Milky Way formed through frequent mergers and bursts of star formation.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateOct 21, 2025

Cosmic signal from the very early universe will help astronomers detect the first stars

A team of researchers has discovered that a specific radio signal can reveal the masses of the earliest stars, crucial for understanding the Cosmic Dawn. The study utilizes the 21-centimetre signal, created by hydrogen atoms filling gaps between star-forming regions, to inform predictions about future radio telescopes like REACH and SKA.

SourceUniversity of Cambridge·JournalNature Astronomy·DateJun 20, 2025

Galaxies die earlier than expected

A recent discovery reveals that massive quiescent galaxies formed even earlier and more rapidly than previously thought. The study found a galaxy named RUBIES-UDS-QG-z7, which formed a stellar mass of over 10 billion solar masses within the first 600 million years after the Big Bang before ceasing star formation.

SourceUniversité de Genève·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeNews article·DateApr 2, 2025

Falsifying anthropics

A new paper in JCAP proposes a way to test the anthropic principle, which suggests the universe is fine-tuned for life. The proposal involves confirming three conditions: cosmic inflation, axion existence, and dark matter not being made of axions.

SourceSissa Medialab·JournalJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics·TypeMeta-analysis·DateDec 9, 2024

Evidence of primordial black holes may be hiding in planets, or even everyday objects here on Earth

Researchers propose that small black holes born in the early universe could have left behind hollow planetoids and microscopic tunnels, potentially detectable with telescopes or by monitoring old materials. The study suggests a low probability of primordial black hole passage but emphasizes the potential for discovery.

SourceUniversity at Buffalo·JournalPhysics of the Dark Universe·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateDec 2, 2024

Probing the early universe

Researchers use high-resolution computer simulations and terabytes of data to detect faint signals from the Epoch of Reionization, providing insights into galaxy formation. The study sets an upper limit on when the EoR likely ended, offering a new parameter for scientists to work with as they continue to investigate the early universe.

SourceNational Center for Supercomputing Applications·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateSep 30, 2024

International Gemini Observatory and Subaru combine forces to discover first ever pair of merging quasars at cosmic dawn

The International Gemini Observatory and Subaru Telescope have discovered the most distant pair of merging quasars, seen only 900 million years after the Big Bang. The team used follow-up spectroscopy to confirm the nature of the quasar pair and their host galaxies.

SourceAssociation of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·DateJun 17, 2024