SCIENCE
Evidence-led explainers and unusual research, separated from speculation.
Did a Black Hole Form Before Its Galaxy? What Webb Actually Found
Webb measured a roughly 50-million-solar-mass black hole in the early universe with very little host-galaxy starlight. Here is what that does—and does not—mean.
RESEARCHWebb Found Brown Dwarfs Only Twice Jupiter’s Mass
In the IC 348 star-forming region, Webb found free-floating brown dwarfs around twice Jupiter’s mass—objects that push the boundary between stars and planets.
RESEARCHWebb Found Water and Dust Near the Milky Way’s Black Hole
Webb detected water and oxygen-rich dust around the aging star IRS 3, only about 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*. The location is extreme—but the water is not inside the black hole.
RESEARCHAwake Inside a Dream: What Lucid Dreaming Actually Shows
Researchers have exchanged signals with sleeping dreamers. What does that reveal about the worlds we experience with our eyes closed?
RESEARCHThe Star That Faded Away—and the Black Hole Question
N6946-BH1 faded from optical view. New research tests whether a failed supernova explains what remains.
RESEARCHA Cosmic Flash in a Millisecond: The Fast Radio Burst Mystery
An intense radio flash from a Galactic magnetar gave astronomers a concrete clue to one of the sky’s shortest-lived signals.