Hubble Captures Closest View of Quasar 3C 273, Revealing Mysterious Structures
The Hubble Space Telescope has provided its closest-ever view of a quasar, revealing unusual structures near its core. The quasar, designated 3C 273, lies billions of light-years from Earth and is one of the brightest known objects in the universe. This discovery was made possible by Hubble’s imaging spectrograph, which minimises the intense glare from the supermassive black hole powering the quasar, allowing astronomers to examine its surroundings in unprecedented detail.
According to a NASA report, Bin Ren, a researcher at the Côte d’Azur Observatory in France, described the findings as peculiar, stating that they have got a few blobs of different sizes and a mysterious L-shaped filamentary structure within 16,000 light-years of the black hole. These features may include small galaxies feeding the black hole with gas and dust, fuelling the quasar’s immense brightness.
The Unique Properties of Quasars
Quasars, powered by supermassive black holes, are the luminous centres of active galaxies. Their brightness is a result of matter falling into the black hole and forming an accretion disk, where immense gravitational forces heat the material until it glows. Magnetic fields near the poles of these black holes accelerate some particles to nearly the speed of light, creating jets of plasma that can extend hundreds of thousands of light-years.
There are around a million quasars visible from Earth, with most of them formed approximately 3 billion years after the Big Bang. Not all galaxies, however, host quasars, as this depends on the availability of surrounding matter to sustain the black hole’s activity.
New Insights into Quasar 3C 273
The Hubble observations also allowed researchers to study the jet extending 300,000 light-years from 3C 273. By comparing images taken over 22 years, astronomers noted that the jet appears to move faster the farther it is from the black hole. Ren indicated that future studies, including observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, may provide additional insights into the quasar’s complex structure and galactic interactions.
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Engineers and materials scientists have achieved a major advancement in battery technology, developing a lithium-sulfur battery that retains 80 percent of its charge capacity after 25,000 charging cycles. The new design, which uses a specially formulated electrode, represents a significant improvement over conventional lithium-ion batteries. The breakthrough could pave the way for smaller, lighter, and longer-lasting energy storage solutions, addressing critical demands in electronics and electric vehicles.
Key Innovations in the Study
According to a study published in Nature, sulfur was utilised as a core component for the battery’s solid electrode. Despite being abundant and cost-effective, sulfur has historically posed challenges due to issues such as ion loss and expansion during reactions with lithium. These problems were tackled by incorporating a glass-like mixture composed of sulfur, boron, lithium, phosphorus, and iodine. The iodine element was found to enhance electron movement during redox reactions, allowing for faster charging and improved performance.
As reported by Techxplore, the research demonstrated that the porous atomic structure of the electrode facilitated ion diffusion, eliminating the need for intermediary movements. This structural stability, combined with the chemical properties of the glass-phase electrolyte, contributed to the battery’s durability across an unprecedented number of cycles.
Performance and Potential Applications
The experimental lithium-sulfur battery maintained its capacity even under high temperatures, a notable advantage in demanding environments. Standard lithium-ion batteries typically degrade after approximately 1,000 cycles, making this new battery’s longevity a striking development. Despite its promise, the study’s authors acknowledged the need for further research to improve energy density and explore alternative materials that could reduce the battery’s overall weight.
Efforts are being directed at refining this technology to support the growing demand for energy storage in applications ranging from consumer electronics to renewable energy systems.
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The nutritional reliance on small carnivores by early hunter-gatherer societies in the Levant has been highlighted through recent archaeological discoveries. A series of excavations at the Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (EPPNB) site of Aḥihud, located in present-day Israel, has revealed the widespread use of red foxes, wildcats, and other small carnivores for meat and fur. This period, dated between approximately 10,500 and 10,100 years ago, coincided with a transformative phase as communities transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming-based lifestyles.
Findings at the Aḥihud Site
According to the study published in Environmental Archaeology, various archaeological materials, including animal bone fragments, were recovered during salvage excavations in 2012 and 2013. These materials included 1,244 animal remains, with a significant proportion belonging to small carnivores such as red foxes, beech martens, Egyptian mongooses, and European badgers. Dr. Shirad Galmor, the lead researcher, explained to Phys.org that the high quantity of small carnivore bones, coupled with observable cut marks, sparked deeper investigation into their utilisation.
Evidence of Skinning and Consumption
Through taphonomic analysis, it was found that more than 12 percent of red fox remains and 19 percent of wildcat remains exhibited distinct cut marks, compared to lower percentages in larger game like gazelles and cape hares. These marks suggested both skinning for fur and butchering for meat. Burn marks on some of the bones further supported their use as food.
Implications for Neolithic Societies
The findings underscore the previously overlooked significance of small carnivores in the dietary and economic practices of early Neolithic communities. While earlier studies primarily attributed the presence of such remains to fur trade, these results open new avenues for understanding their role as a dietary staple during this period of societal evolution.
Researchers emphasise the need for additional studies to explore the contributions of small carnivores at other archaeological sites across the southern Levant.
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