{
  "id": 9527844,
  "title": "JWST finds early galaxies were already seeding the universe with heavy elements",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/jwst-finds-early-galaxies-were-already-seeding-the-universe-with",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-24T09:00:04.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-jwst-early-galaxies-seeding-universe.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "When the universe was just 500 million years old—about 3% of its current age—the very first galaxies had already formed. Astronomers had long believed these early celestial bodies were mostly composed of hydrogen and helium, the primordial ingredients of the cosmos. However, a new study published in Nature Astronomy suggests otherwise. Researchers from the University of Arizona discovered that these ancient galaxies were already seeding the universe with heavy elements, such as oxygen and carbon, much earlier than previously thought.\n\nLead author Yongda Zhu, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona, explained that not only were these galaxies producing heavy elements, but they were also dispersing them into space. This process, known as baryon cycling, allowed the heavy elements to be transported from the galaxies to their surroundings.\n\nUsing the powerful infrared capabilities of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the research team observed three early galaxies as they appeared about 500 million years after the Big Bang. By analyzing the light patterns as it passed through surrounding gas, they detected the presence of specific heavy elements, including carbon, oxygen, and silicon, in gas moving outward from the galaxies.\n\nThe findings imply that galaxies were already enriching their surroundings with heavy elements within the first 500 million years of the universe's existence. This process, called baryon cycling, could help explain why astronomers have struggled to find the earliest stars, known as Population III stars, which formed from pristine gas containing only hydrogen and helium. If galaxies were already enriching their surroundings so early, the pristine gas needed to form Population III stars may have been scarce.",
  "summary": "When the universe was still in its infancy—only 500 million years after the Big Bang, or about 3% of its current age—some of the universe's earliest stars and galaxies had already formed. Astronomers have long predicted that much of the gas surrounding these young galaxies must have remained relatively pristine, composed mostly of hydrogen and helium, the primordial ingredients available in the…",
  "key_points": [
    "First galaxies formed 500 million years after Big Bang",
    "University of Arizona study finds heavy elements in early galaxies",
    "JWST observations reveal baryon cycling enriching surroundings"
  ],
  "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."
}