Research roundup: 7 cool science stories we almost missed
"Black hole stars," making cookies from plastic, tiny sound-powered drones, and more.
Every month, a selection of intriguing scientific stories that may have gone unnoticed is brought to light. This August's list features a variety of captivating discoveries, from a newly identified celestial object to the potential connection between whale calls and Einstein's theory of relativity.
Among the highlights is the discovery of a new celestial object, dubbed a "black hole star," by astronomers using data from the James Webb Space Telescope. In 2024, they stumbled upon hundreds of mysterious red dots in the dataset, believed to be baby quasars from when the Universe was just a few hundred million years old. One particular red dot stood out due to its extreme redness and brightness, yet it didn't fit into any known astrophysical category.
After thorough analysis, scientists concluded that this peculiar red dot is indeed a black hole star. This unique object, despite its small size comparable to a large star, emits energy levels comparable to what an active black hole would produce.
Written by urgent.news from Ars Technica's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
