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Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have just discovered the four most distant galaxies ever seen, located a little over 13 billion light-years from Earth. This means astronomers are seeing what galaxies looked like only 300 to 500 million years after the Big Bang, in the infancy of our now almost 14 billion-year-old universe, according to two new (opens in new tab) studies (opens in new tab) published April 4 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

“The frontier is moving almost every month,” Pieter van Dokkum (opens in new tab) , a professor of astronomy at Yale University who was not involved in the studies, said in a commentary (opens in new tab) published in Nature Astronomy. There are now “only 300 million years of unexplored history of the universe between these galaxies and the Big Bang,” van Dokkum added.

This may sound like familiar news, as several studies have recently claimed possible detections of even older galaxies using JWST in the past few months. The four newly discovered galaxies are different, though — astronomers have actually confirmed these are ancient galaxies and not some other celestial body, or a closer-by galaxy masquerading as a more distant one.

Related: James Webb Space Telescope discovers oldest black hole in the universe — a cosmic monster 10 million times heavier than the sun

Observations of the four oldest known galaxies in the universe, taken with the James Webb Space Telescope (Image credit: Nature Astronomy/ JWST)

For nearby galaxies, astronomers usually use color to estimate redshift, a parameter that describes distance as light waves stretch and turn redder while zooming across the expanding universe. However, this technique is a dicier choice when exploring wholly new frontiers like those being studied with JWST. In what van Dokkum describes as a “technical tour de force,” the authors of the new research used detailed measurements of the galaxies’ spectra, or the range of light they emit over different frequencies, to double-check the accuracy of the redshifts. 

These four galaxies exist in the epoch of reionization, a time when astronomers think the first stars were being created. Once they confirmed the galaxies’ ages, the researchers sized up the galaxies’ stars, finding that they were quite small, at least compared with our Milky Way. But the galaxies were also creating stars at a fast pace — something that was “surprising so early in the universe,” study co-author  Stéphane Charlot (opens in new tab) , a researcher at the Astrophysics Institute of Paris, told the French news agency AFP (opens in new tab) .related stories—The James Webb Telescope detected the coldest ice in the known universe — and it contains the building blocks of life

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The galaxies also don’t appear to contain any particularly complex elements, suggesting that their stars haven’t yet had time to create heavier elements and are instead made of the original hydrogen and helium atoms from the early universe, according to the researchers.

“Galaxies had to grow up fast indeed,” van Dokkum wrote, referring to the 300 million years in which these ancient galaxies formed. “To put this length of time in perspective, sharks have been around for longer!” 

When JWST launched in December 2021, astronomers hoped it would find the first galaxies — but results like these are showing that galaxies may have started earlier than anyone had previously thought. 

“The birth of the first galaxies may have been so early that it lies beyond even JWST’s powers,” van Dokkum wrote.

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NY Attorney General files lawsuit to recoup $2.2M in crypto lost to job scam

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NY Attorney General files lawsuit to recoup .2M in crypto lost to job scam

Victims in New York were promised “well-paying, flexible jobs,” only to be tricked into a crypto scam, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.

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Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy pushes for Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of US inauguration

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Donald Trump's Middle East envoy pushes for Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of US inauguration

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.

It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea and Security Agency director Ronen Bar attend a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS
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Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters

The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.

A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.

Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.

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Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.

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Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction

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Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction

Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.

It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.

In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.

Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.

The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.

President Joe Biden presents Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
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President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP

President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Denzel Washington. Pic: AP
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Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP

President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Michael J Fox. Pic: AP
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Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP

The award can be presented with or without distinction.

Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.

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‘I could have beaten Trump’

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Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.

President Barack Obama presents Vice President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Jan. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP

The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.

“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.

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