Supermassive black holes: How do they get so huge? This seemingly simple question is quite complex. An international team of astronomers may have found an answer. In the nearby galaxy ESO320-G030, which is highly active and luminous in the infrared, they discovered a powerful, rotating magnetic wind around a supermassive black hole. Using ALMA, they observed dense gas patterns indicating this magnetic wind feeds material into the black hole, helping it grow over time. This process is similar to how baby stars accrete matter but on a much larger scale.
2. Microbe Temperance League
Binge drinking, defined as consuming large quantities of alcohol quickly, poses significant health risks. Although young people are reporting lower rates of illicit drug and alcohol use, binge drinking remains common. Current treatments for alcohol use disorder are limited, prompting researchers to explore new options. A team at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine found that binge drinkers have distinct gut microbiota patterns. In mice bred for binge drinking, increasing valeric acid in their diet reduced alcohol consumption by 40%. This suggests that gut microbiota and their metabolites, like valeric acid, may influence drinking behaviors.
3. When 3.14 Isn’t Good Enough
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science, while modeling high-energy particle interactions, discovered a new series representation for pi. Using the Feynman diagram and Euler-Beta function, they optimized their model and inadvertently found a new way to represent pi. This new series allows for quicker calculations of pi, which can be incorporated into various scientific computations. “Our initial goal was to study high-energy physics, not to find a new representation of pi,” said Aninda Sinha, professor at the Center for High Energy Physics.
4. New Dinosaur Just Dropped
A multi-institutional team of paleontologists discovered a new plant-eating dinosaur in northern Montana, named Lokiceratops rangiformis. This dinosaur, found in 2019, had a spectacular frilled array of horns resembling Loki’s headdress from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Researchers from Colorado State University and the University of Utah identified Lokiceratops as the largest centrosaurine horned dinosaur in North America, living about 78 million years ago. The discovery of this new species with its unique headgear expands our understanding of ceratopsian diversity.
