Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed
"Black hole stars," making cookies from plastic, tiny sound-powered drones, and more.
Every month, BBC highlights a selection of scientific stories that may have gone unnoticed. August's list includes a fascinating new celestial object dubbed a 'black hole star'. Astronomers discovered this object using the James Webb Space Telescope's data from 2024. It was one of hundreds of mysterious red dots observed, believed to be baby quasars from when the Universe was only a few hundred million years old.
This particular object stood out due to its extreme redness and brightness, properties not matching any known astronomical entities. The astronomers have since determined it to be a 'black hole star'. This nomenclature arises from its size, comparable to that of a large star, yet its energy output is far greater, similar to that of an active black hole.
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