{
  "id": 6356689,
  "title": "Some black holes grow much faster than their galaxies",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/some-black-holes-grow-much-faster-than-their-galaxies",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-09T00:40:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-black-holes-faster-galaxies.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent research published in Astronomy & Astrophysics has uncovered a population of black holes that are growing much faster than their host galaxies. Typically, supermassive black holes make up about 0.5% of a galaxy's mass. However, the study found eight quasars where the black hole's mass is a whopping 5% of the galaxy's mass. This is an unusually high ratio compared to the usual 200-to-1. What's more, three of these quasars are among the brightest, suggesting they are consuming matter at an extraordinary rate. This could potentially double the mass of these black holes within a billion years. The galaxies hosting these overmassive black holes are notably faint, implying they contain significantly fewer stars than our Milky Way. It remains unclear whether these black holes will continue to grow at this unprecedented rate, or if they will eventually consume enough material that star formation is no longer possible. Nonetheless, these findings indicate a scenario where black hole growth can temporarily outpace the growth of their galaxies. This complex interplay between galaxies and their supermassive black holes will require further investigation to fully understand.",
  "summary": "Nearly every galaxy has a supermassive black hole. The few that don't have had theirs ejected during a galactic collision. That's because galaxies and their black holes have formed hand in hand. There is still some debate as to whether galaxies formed around the seeds of supermassive black holes or the other way around, but there is plenty of evidence to support the idea that the two evolve…",
  "key_points": [
    "Some black holes grow 10 times faster than their galaxies",
    "Eight quasars studied have black hole mass 5% of galaxy mass",
    "Brightest three quasars consume matter unusually fast"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}