Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
Toggle light / dark theme

Blog

Category: physics

Unusual signal may prove existence of primordial black holes

It may well take years to prove, but a pair of University of Miami astrophysicists could be on the verge of a cosmic breakthrough that will confirm the existence of primordial black holes and the role they play in one of cosmology’s greatest mysteries.

Believed to have formed within the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang, primordial black holes are purely theoretical. But if confirmed, these hypothetical cosmic phenomena, which could range from asteroid-sized to massive, could explain a lot, including the nature of dark matter—the invisible substance that constitutes about 85% of all matter in the universe, acting as “gravitational glue” that holds galaxies together.

“We believe our study will aid in confirming that they actually do exist,” Nico Cappelluti, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Physics, said of the research he and Ph.D. student Alberto Magaraggia have conducted.

Astronomers Detect Strange “Chirp” From a Supernova, Revealing Hidden Physics

Astronomers studying a distant superluminous supernova uncovered a strange pattern hidden in its light: a rapidly accelerating “chirp.” For decades, astronomers have used distant supernova explosions as cosmic beacons to study fundamental physics and measure properties of the universe. While exam

Chandra resolves why black holes hit the brakes on growth

Astronomers have an answer for a long-running mystery in astrophysics: why is the growth of supermassive black holes so much lower today than in the past? A study using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and other X-ray telescopes found that supermassive black holes are unable to consume material as rapidly as they did in the distant past. The results appeared in the December 2025 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Ten billion years ago, there was a period that astronomers call “cosmic noon,” when the growth of supermassive black holes (those with millions to billions of times the mass of the sun) was at its peak across the entire history of the universe. Between cosmic noon and now, however, astronomers have seen a major slowdown in how rapidly black holes are growing.

“A longstanding mystery has been the cause of this big slowdown,” said Zhibo Yu of Penn State University, lead author of the new study. “With these X-ray data and supporting observations at other wavelengths, we can test different ideas and narrow down the answer.”

A Bright Star Hid a Massive Secret for 50 Years: Mystery of Gamma Cassiopeiae Finally Solved

A naked-eye star’s 50-year mystery is solved—its bizarre X-rays come from a hidden, feeding white dwarf.

Easily visible in the night sky within the constellation Cassiopeia, the star γ Cas has puzzled astronomers for more than 50 years. It produces X-rays with energies and temperatures far beyond what is expected from a typical massive star. New observations using the Resolve instrument aboard Japan’s XRISM space telescope have now traced this unusual emission to a white dwarf orbiting the star. This finding also confirms a long-theorized class of binary systems that had never been clearly identified. The study, led by researchers at the University of Liège, was published today (March 24) in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

What makes be stars like gamma cassiopeiae unique.

Why Time Flows Differently Between Galaxies

Thanks to Radiacode for sponsoring this video. Use the promo code “PBS” to get an exclusive 10% discount at: https://103.radiacode.com/PBS The universe is expanding and that expansion is accelerating under the power of dark energy and eventually all matter and energy will be dispersed over such unthinkable distances that nothing can stop space from blowing up infinitely. Unless of course cosmologists blundered and dark energy doesn’t even exist. Then it’s back to the drawing board. Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! / pbsspacetime Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/space… the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O’Dowd Written by Matt O’Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producer: Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell Spacetime is a production of Kornhaber Brown for PBS Digital Studios. This program is produced by Kornhaber Brown, which is solely responsible for its content. © 2024 PBS. All rights reserved. End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: / multidroideka Space Time Was Made Possible In Part By: Big Bang Wojciech Szymski Bryce Fort Peter Barrett Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Vinnie Falco Mark Rosenthal Supernova Grace Biaelcki Glenn Sugden Ethan Cohen Stephen Wilcox Mark Heising Hypernova Spencer Jones Dean Galvin Michael Tidwell Robert DeChellis Stephen Spidle Massimiliano Pala Justin Lloyd Matthew Pabst David Giltinan Kenneth See Gregory Forfa Alex Kern Zubin Dowlaty Scott Gorlick Paul Stehr-Green Ben Delo Scott Gray Антон Кочков Robert Ilardi John R. Slavik Donal Botkin Chuck Zegar Daniel Muzquiz Gamma Ray Burst Bryan White Aaron Pinto Kacper Cieśla Satwik Pani Param Saxena John De Witt Nathaniel Bennett Sandhya Devi Michael Oulvey Arko Provo Mukherjee Mike Purvis Christopher Wade Anthony Crossland Grace Seraph Stephen Saslow Tomaz Lovsin Anthony Leon Lori Ferris Koen Wilde Nicolas Katsantonis Richard Steenbergen Joe Pavlovic Kyle Luzny Chuck Lukaszewski Jerry Thomas Nikhil Sharma John Anderson Bradley Ulis Craig Falls Kane Holbrook Ross Story Harsh Khandhadia Michael Lev Rad Antonov Terje Vold James Trimmier Jeremy Soller Paul Wood Kent Durham jim bartosh John H. Austin, Jr. Faraz Khan Almog Cohen Daniel Jennings Jeremy Reed David Johnston Michael Barton Isaac Suttell Bleys Goodson Mark Delagasse Mark Daniel Cohen Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Frederic Simon Jim Hudson Michael Purcell John Funai Adrien Molyneux Bradley Jenkins Vlad Shipulin Justin Waters Thomas Dougherty Zac Sweers Dan Warren Joseph Salomone Julien Dubois.

Holistic space observation: the shift from SSA to SDA

Recent reporting on SpaceX’s proposal to deploy up to one million satellites in low Earth orbit — paired with a vision of AI-enabled, autonomous orbital infrastructure — marks a decisive moment for the space community. Regardless of whether these numbers ultimately materialize, the direction is unmistakable: space is moving toward unprecedented scale, autonomy and strategic importance.

That reality demands a fundamental reassessment of what space awareness really means.

For decades, space situational awareness (SSA) focused on orbital mechanics: where an object is, where it will be and whether it might collide with something else. That model is now insufficient. Satellites are no longer passive nodes governed primarily by physics; they are software-defined, networked systems deeply integrated with terrestrial cyber infrastructure, global supply chains and increasingly AI-driven decision loops.

The Arrow of Time and How to Reverse It

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE
↓ More info below ↓

Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord!
/ pbsspacetime.

Ever wish you could travel backward in time and do things differently? Good news: the laws of physics seem to say traveling backward in time is the same as traveling forwards. So why do we seem to be stuck in this inexorable flow towards the future? It’s time to begin our journey towards really understanding time.

Check out the Space Time Merch Store.
https://pbsspacetime.com/

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!
https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/space… by Matt O’Dowd Written by Matt O’Dowd Graphics by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, & Pedro Osinski Directed by: Andrew Kornhaber Assistant Producer: Setare Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber End Credits Music by J.R.S. Schattenberg: / @julesschattenberg Special Thanks to Our Patreon Producers Big Bang Supporters Sean Maddox Marty Yudkovitz Brodie Rao Scott Gray Ahmad Jodeh Radu Negulescu Alexander Tamas Morgan Hough Juan Benet Fabrice Eap Mark Rosenthal David Nicklas Quasar Supporters Justin Lloyd Christina Oegren Mark Heising Vinnie Falco Hypernova Supporters William Bryan L. Wayne Ausbrooks Nicholas Newlin Mark Matthew Bosko Justin Jermyn Jason Finn Антон Кочков Alec S-L Julian Tyacke John R. Slavik Mathew Danton Spivey Donal Botkin John Pollock Edmund Fokschaner Joseph Salomone Matthew O’Connor chuck zegar Jordan Young m0nk Hank S John Hofmann Timothy McCulloch Gamma Ray Burst Daniel Jennings Cameron Sampson Pratik Mukherjee Geoffrey Clarion Astronauticist Nate Darren Duncan Lily kawaii Russ Creech Jeremy Reed Max Bernard Bill Blair Eric Webster Steven Sartore DrJYou David Johnston J. King Michael Barton Christopher Barron James Ramsey Mr T Andrew Mann Jeremiah Johnson fieldsa eleanory Peter Mertz Kevin O’Connell Richard Deighton Isaac Suttell Devon Rosenthal Oliver Flanagan Dawn M Fink Bleys Goodson Darryl J Lyle Robert Walter Bruce B Ismael Montecel Andrew Richmond Simon Oliphant Mirik Gogri David Hughes Mark Daniel Cohen Brandon Lattin Yannick Weyns Nickolas Andrew Freeman Brian Blanchard Shane Calimlim Tybie Fitzhugh Robert Ilardi Astaurus Eric Kiebler Craig Stonaha Martin Skans Michael Conroy Graydon Goss Frederic Simon Greg Smith Sean Warniaha Tonyface John Robinson A G Kevin Lee Adrian Hatch Yurii Konovaliuk John Funai Cass Costello Geoffrey Short Bradley Jenkins Kyle Hofer Tim Stephani Luaan AlecZero Malte Ubl Nick Virtue Scott Gossett Martin J Lollar Dan Warren Patrick Sutton John Griffith Daniel Lyons DFaulk Kevin Warne Andreas Nautsch Brandon labonte Lucas Morgan.

Hosted by Matt O’Dowd.

Continue reading “The Arrow of Time and How to Reverse It” | >

How To Detect Faster Than Light Travel

Check out the Space Time Merch Store
https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop.

Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord!
/ pbsspacetime.

Warp drives may or may not be possible, but if they are then could a distant alien civilization’s warp fields produce gravitational waves that we could see here on Earth? According to a recent study… Actually maybe, at least eventually. And we now know just what to look for and how to look for it.

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!
https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/space…

Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/

Continue reading “How To Detect Faster Than Light Travel” | >

Learn More About NordVPN at

It’s about time we discussed an obscure concept in physics that may be more fundamental than energy and entropy and perhaps time itself. That’s right — the time has come for Action.

Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord!
/ pbsspacetime.

Check out the Space Time Merch Store
https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop.

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!
https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/space…

Hosted by Matt O’Dowd
Written by Fernando Franco Félix & Matt O’Dowd
Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria
GFX Visualizations: Ajay Manuel
Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
Assistant Producer: Setare Gholipour
Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber.

Read more

/* */