Black Hole

Forty years ago an amateur Scottish paleontologist named Stan Wood made a fascinating discovery, uncovering Westlothiana lizziae , nicknamed “Lizzie.” The ancient salamander filled a niche that geologists had been after for years, marking the transition of the first animals from water to land. The earliest life began with the…

An illustration of a very massive star ejecting vast amounts of matter into space (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)) Very massive stars that collapse to create black holes may vomit out much more material during their short lives than we previously thought. To fit with astronomical observations of…

You're probably tired by now of hearing all about "black holes". It's one of those phrases trotted out by journalists in an effort to make economic policy sound a little more interesting. And in some senses it's a massively misleading image. After all, when people talk about fiscal holes, what…

The 54-74 intersection.  New drivers fear it, seasoned drivers dislike it, and other drivers of varying persuasions take seemingly more time-consuming alternate routes to avoid sitting in this intersection.  At least one citizen has been heard referring to it as “the black hole.”  As we all know, this area is…

A vast cloud of energetic particles surrounding a cluster of galaxies that existed around four billion years after the Big Bang could help scientists discover how the early universe took shape. But was the halo of the massive cluster of galaxies — called SpARCS104922.6+564032.5, and located 9.9 billion light-years from…

An image of a black hole surrounded by matter. Does the secret of quantum gravity lie around these cosmic titans too? (Image credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva)) The first step toward quantum gravity, the "holy grail of physics," may be hiding in a quantum recipe to cook up black…

The scientists who precisely measure the position of Earth are in a bit of trouble. Their measurements are essential for the satellites we use for navigation, communication and Earth observation every day. But you might be surprised to learn that making these measurements – using the science of geodesy –…

Astronomers have uncovered a vast cloud of energetic particles -- a 'mini halo' -- surrounding one of the most distant galaxy clusters ever observed, marking a major step forward in understanding the hidden forces that shape the cosmos. The mini-halo is at a distance so great that it takes light…

June 27, 2025 1:00 PM This article is part of VentureBeat’s special issue, “The Real Cost of AI: Performance, Efficiency and ROI at Scale.” Read more from this special issue. AI’s promise is undeniable, but so are its blindsiding security costs at the inference layer. New attacks targeting AI’s operational side are…

This stunning Hubble view of spiral galaxy UGC 11397 captures more than graceful arms and glowing stars—it hides a ravenous supermassive black hole, cloaked in dust but blazing in X-rays. Although invisible in regular light, its energetic core revealed itself as a Type 2 Seyfert galaxy...Read More