Science Frontier ·
Euclid telescope discovers 31 ancient quasars, including the two oldest ever
The European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope, with ground-based follow-up from the Subaru Telescope and other observatories, has identified 31 quasars from when the universe was just 670 million years old, including the two most distant ever observed. In other major developments, astronomers witnessed the birth of a magnetar for the first time via a supernova 'chirp', a nearby super-Earth was found to be in its star's habitable zone, the Large Hadron Collider shut down for upgrades, the FDA expanded CRISPR gene therapy to children as young as two, and the James Webb Space Telescope detected water-ice clouds on a nearby Jupiter-like exoplanet.
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Euclid telescope discovers 31 ancient quasars, including the two oldest ever The European Space Agency's Euclid telescope, with ground-based follow-up including the Subaru Telescope, has identified 31 quasars from when the universe was just 670 million years old. Two of these break the record for the most distant quasars ever observed, providing new insights into early supermassive black hole formation. 123
Astronomers witness the birth of a magnetar for the first time A strange 'chirp' in the light of a distant supernova has revealed the formation of a magnetar, confirming that these extremely magnetic neutron stars power superluminous supernovae. The discovery also marks the first use of Einstein's general relativity to explain supernova mechanics. 4
Nearby super-Earth GJ 3378b may be habitable after all Revised analysis by UC Irvine researchers places the exoplanet GJ 3378b, located 25 light-years away, within its red dwarf star's habitable zone. The planet is 2.3 times Earth's mass and could host liquid water. 5
Large Hadron Collider shuts down after 18 years, upgrades begin CERN's LHC has entered Long Shutdown 3, ending 18 years of operations that included the discovery of the Higgs boson. It will be upgraded to the High-Luminosity LHC, expected to start operations in the early 2030s. 6
FDA expands CRISPR gene therapy Casgevy to children as young as two The FDA has approved Casgevy, the world's first CRISPR-based therapy, for children aged two and older with sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. Previously only available for patients 12 and up, the expansion allows earlier treatment to prevent irreversible organ damage. 7
Webb finds thick water-ice clouds on nearby Jupiter-like exoplanet The James Webb Space Telescope has detected water-ice clouds in the atmosphere of Epsilon Indi Ab, a cold super-Jupiter 12 light-years away. The clouds explain the missing ammonia signature in the planet's spectrum. 8
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