Nature Podcast

Colossal 'jets' shooting from a black hole defy physicists' theories

Sep 18, 2024

Astronomers reveal the largest black hole jets ever recorded, measuring a staggering 23 million light years. These colossal jets challenge existing theories about their size, hinting at more discoveries to come. Innovative fabrics designed to protect against mosquito bites and the fascinating role of islands in preserving unique languages are also discussed. Finally, a groundbreaking one-step method for producing metal alloys is presented, promising to reduce environmental impact and improve production efficiency.

34:06

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Quick takeaways

The discovery of massive black hole jets exceeding previous size limits challenges existing theories and highlights their role in galaxy evolution.

A new, sustainable method for metal alloy production could significantly reduce emissions and improve quality compared to traditional multi-step processes.

Deep dives

The Discovery of Massive Black Hole Jets

Astronomers have discovered the largest black hole jet ever detected, measuring approximately 7 megaparsecs, or 23 million light years, in length. This finding surpassed previous theories that estimated black hole jets could only span a maximum of about 5 megaparsecs. The discovery highlights that as matter approaches the black hole, most is consumed, but some is ejected at nearly the speed of light, creating powerful jets that can influence the formation of stars in their galaxies. Essentially, these jets inhibit new star formation by heating and spreading the interstellar medium, thereby contributing to the galaxy's evolutionary dynamics.

Intro

3min

Unveiling Cosmic Jets: Black Holes and Galaxy Dynamics

6min

Exploring Cosmic Jets, Insect Protection, and Language Diversity

4min

Innovations in Alloy Production

13min

Unraveling Viral Evolution with AI

6min

Monkey Experiment Reveals Impact of Reward Sizes on Motor Preparation

3min

In this episode:

00:45 The biggest black hole jets ever seen

Astronomers have spotted a pair of enormous jets emanating from a supermassive black hole with a combined length of 23 million light years — the biggest ever discovered. Jets are formed when matter is ionized and flung out of a black hole, creating enormous and powerful structures in space. Thought to be unstable, physicists had theorized there was a limit to how large these jets could be, but the new discovery far exceeds this, suggesting there may be more of these monstrous jets yet to be discovered.

Research Article: Oei et al.

09:44 Research Highlights

The knitted fabrics designed to protect wearers from mosquito bites, and the role that islands play in fostering language diversity.

Research Highlight: Plagued by mosquitoes? Try some bite-blocking fabrics

Research Highlight: Islands are rich with languages spoken nowhere else

12:26 A sustainable, one-step method for alloy production

Making metal alloys is typically a multi-step process that creates huge amounts of emissions. Now, a team demonstrates a way to create these materials in a single step, which they hope could significantly reduce the environmental burdens associated with their production. In a lab demonstration, they use their technique to create an alloy of nickel and iron called invar — a widely-used material that has a high carbon-footprint. The team show evidence that their method can produce invar to a quality that rivals that of conventional manufacturing, and suggest their technique is scalable to create alloys at an industrial scale.

Research article: Wei et al.

25:29 Briefing Chat

How AI-predicted protein structures have helped chart the evolution of a group of viruses, and the neurons that cause monkeys to ‘choke’ under pressure.

Nature News: Where did viruses come from? AlphaFold and other AIs are finding answers

Nature News: Why do we crumble under pressure? Science has the answer

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