Webb finds galaxies polluted early universe 500M years after Big Bang

Astronomers have discovered that galaxies were already enriching the early universe with oxygen, carbon and silicon just 500 million years after the Big Bang. Observations from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope revealed signs of metal-rich gas flowing out of galaxies in galactic winds, spreading material into intergalactic space.

This finding challenges the notion of an early universe filled with untainted hydrogen and helium, as young galaxies were already shaping their surroundings and providing essential ingredients for later generations of stars, planets and potentially life.