Supermassive Black Hole Fires Gas 'Bullets'—Never Seen Before
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A supermassive black hole lurking at the heart of a relatively close galaxy is firing off a rapid-fire slew of ultrafast gas "bullets" into the surrounding galaxy.
This is the conclusion of an international team of astronomers with the U.S./Japanese X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM), whose spacecraft was designed to observe the hot plasma winds that blow through galaxies.
The subject of the study was PDS 456, an active galactic nucleus located some 2.18 giga light-years from the Earth in the constellation of Serpens.
The team say that the energy being carried by the "bullets" of wind is far greater than was expected—and could shake up our understanding of how galaxies and their central black holes evolve in tandem.
"These estimates disfavor both energy-driving and momentum-driving outflow models, which generally assume that a homogeneous wind affects the galaxy interstellar medium in a spherically symmetric way," the researchers wrote in their paper.
An artist's impression of winds from a supermassive black hole.
An artist's impression of winds from a supermassive black hole.
JAXA
What Is a Supermassive Black Hole?
Supermassive black holes are behemoths that weigh in at several million to billion times the mass of our own sun.
Like their smaller counterparts, their concentrated mass so deforms the fabric of space time that, beyond their "event horizon", nothing—not even light—is able to escape their gravitational pull.
Astrophysicists suspect that every galaxy may sport a supermassive black hole at its heart, these objects evolving along with their host galaxy.
Exactly what mechanisms underpin this relationship, however, remains unclear—especially given the vast mass and size difference between these paired objects.
How Do Central Black Holes Affect Galaxies?
Crucial to unpicking this puzzling relationship between a galaxy and its central black hole, the researchers note, is understanding the nature of the powerful outflows of gas expelled from around black holes like a cosmic wind.
It is believed that these outflows mediate the linked evolution of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies in two ways.
Firstly, they throttle the growth of the holes by slowing the influx of matter for them to feast upon; secondly, they inject vast amounts of energy into their host galaxies, which has the potential to suppress star formation.
An illustration of the gaseous wind "bullets" firing out of the supermassive black hole PDS 456.
An illustration of the gaseous wind "bullets" firing out of the supermassive black hole PDS 456.
Audard et al. / Nature
In their study, the researchers used XRISM to observe the gas outflows from PDS 456, finding them to be traveling at some 20–30 percent of the speed of light.
In fact, the energy being carried by these winds is more than 1,000 times that transported in galactic-scale winds, suggesting they may have a more significant role than was thought.
They also revealed that the winds are composed of five distinct parts, each of which are moving through space at different speeds.
According to the researchers, it is this that suggests that either the gas is being ejected periodically—like an explosion from a geyser—or alternatively channeled through gaps in the surrounding interstellar medium.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about black holes? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Reference
Audard, M., Awaki, H., Ballhausen, R., Bamba, A., Behar, E., Boissay-Malaquin, R., Brenneman, L., Brown, G. V., Corrales, L., Costantini, E., Cumbee, R., Trigo, M. D., Done, C., Dotani, T., Ebisawa, K., Eckart, M., Eckert, D., Enoto, T., Eguchi, S., ... XRISM collaboration. (2025). Structured ionized winds shooting out from a quasar at relativistic speeds. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08968-2
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Top Scientist Issues Stark mRNA Vaccine Warning to U.S.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Rick Bright, the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has warned that Department of Health and Human Services' decision to cut funding for mRNA vaccine development could threaten American national security. "BARDA wasn't the only government agency making early investments in mRNA research," Bright wrote in an opinion piece for The New York Times. "The Department of Defense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had already recognized mRNA's potential for swift action against emerging biological threats, including those that might be weaponized." It comes after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the termination of 22 mRNA development investments and the reallocation of roughly $500 million at the beginning of this month. Why it Matters Bright said the mRNA platform had been central to the fast response to COVID-19 and that abandoning the technology would undermine the nation's ability to respond quickly to future biological threats. Multiple scientists and doctors have spoken out against this decision, including infectious diseases expert Dr. Thomas A. Russo, who told Newsweek that mRNA vaccines "will be critical when the next, inevitable infectious diseases crisis rears its ugly head." What To Know On August 5, the HHS confirmed it would cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine development contracts, impacting research teams and proposals—including those from Emory University, Tiba Biotech, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur and others. The projects reportedly targeted respiratory viruses including seasonal influenza, COVID-19, RSV and H5N1 and included work by major industry and academic teams. Secretary Kennedy argued that the data showed mRNA vaccines had not met expectations for preventing upper respiratory infections and that HHS would shift funding toward other vaccine platforms. But Bright praised mRNA technology, saying that the "unprecedented speed" with which a COVID-19 vaccine was developed in 2020 "was possible only because years earlier, the United States had invested" in it. "This decision undercuts one of the most significant medical advances in decades, technology that could protect millions more people from the threats ahead," Bright said. "I know the stakes because I was BARDA's director when the United States made the decision to invest heavily in mRNA," he said. "That investment did not begin with Covid-19. It began in 2016, when we faced the Zika virus outbreak." "We needed a way to design a vaccine in days, not years, to protect pregnant women and their babies from devastating birth defects. Older vaccine approaches were too slow," Bright continued. "The solution was mRNA: a flexible, rapid-response technology that could be reprogrammed for any virus once its genetic sequence was known. That early investment laid the groundwork for the lightning-fast Covid-19 response four years later." Kennedy said in a post on X the time: "We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted. BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu," Kennedy said in a post on X. "We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate." Newsweek has contacted the HHS, via online inquiry form, for a response to Bright's comments. File photo of an employee of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) preparing the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 for vaccination in a vaccination center, taken in Bavaria, Germany, in January 2021. File photo of an employee of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK) preparing the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 for vaccination in a vaccination center, taken in Bavaria, Germany, in January 2021. AP What People Are Saying Former BARDA director Rick Bright said in his NYT op-ed: "Like every technology, mRNA has limitations. Vaccines meant to protect against respiratory infections, whether developed through mRNA or older technologies, are generally better at averting severe disease than preventing infection. It is a scientific challenge we can address with next-generation vaccines. The answer to limitations is improvement, not abandonment. "Political narratives about mRNA have fueled confusion, which leads to mistrust, yet the scientific evidence consistently shows that this technology is safe and effective and holds enormous potential for future vaccines and treatments." Children's Health Defense, an anti-vax nonprofit founded by Kennedy Jr. which focuses on childhood health epidemics, said in a post on X: "CHD applauds this most recent announcement to defund 22 mRNA vaccine projects under BARDA. While we believe that the mRNA shots on the market are unsafe and should be off the market, this is a welcome step in the right direction. The pandemic preparedness industry as it exists today is a threat to human welfare." What Happens Next HHS said it would shift funding toward other vaccine platforms but did not provide detailed timelines or specify which programs would receive redirected support. Scientific organizations, industry groups and public-health leaders said they would assess the impact and consider next steps, while some public-health advocates announced initiatives to defend vaccine science and provide public information.
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
How Airplane Toilets Could Help Track 'Silent Pandemic'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Aircraft toilets could become a powerful early warning tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistant super-bugs, a growing health crisis that threatens to kill more people than cancer by 2050. This is the conclusion of an international team of researchers who analyzed lavatory wastewater from 44 international flights arriving in Australia from nine different countries. The findings are both alarming and promising. Using advanced molecular techniques, the researchers detected nine high-priority pathogens and super-bugs, including some that are acquired in hospitals and resistant to multiple drugs. Five of the nine super-bugs were found in all 44 flight samples, and a gene conferring resistance to last-resort antibiotics was detected on 17 flights. This gene was absent in Australia's urban wastewater during the same period, suggesting its was likely introduced via international travel. A stock image shows a plane lavatory sign. A stock image shows a plane lavatory sign. getty images Because it hosts so many pathogens, aircraft wastewater offers scientists a snapshot of emerging health risks before they reach local communities. "Aircraft wastewater captures microbial signatures from passengers across different continents, offering a non-invasive, cost-effective way to monitor threats like AMR," said paper author Warish Ahmed, a principal research scientist from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), in a statement. Significant Geographic Variations The wastewater samples also revealed significant geographic variations, according to paper co-author and University of South Australia (UniSA) microbiologist professor Nicholas Ashbolt. "Flights from Asia, particularly India, showed higher concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes, compared to flights from Europe and the UK," Ashbolt said in a statement. Of the 44 international flights sampled, 18 originated from India, 14 from the United Kingdom, six from Germany and the rest from France, UAE, Türkiye, South Africa, Japan and Indonesia. According to study author Yawen Liu, a visiting scientist from Xiamen University in China, these disparities could reflect differences in antibiotic use, water sanitation, population density and public health policies across regions. Do disinfectants affect genetic material? The team also tested whether disinfectants used in aircraft toilets degrade genetic material. They found that nucleic acids remained stable for up to 24 hours, even when exposed to strong disinfectants—confirming the reliability of aircraft wastewater for surveillance purposes. "International travel is one of the major drivers of AMR spread," said Liu. "By monitoring aircraft wastewater, we can potentially detect and track antibiotic resistance genes before they become established in local environments." This study builds on previous CSIRO research carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, which successfully detected the virus in wastewater from long-haul flights of returning Australians. With AMR projected to cause more than 39 million deaths globally by 2050, Ashbolt emphasizes the urgency of developing innovative surveillance tools to contrast it. "Aircraft wastewater monitoring could complement existing public health systems, providing early warnings of emerging super-bug threats", he said. Ahmed added: "This is a proof-of-concept with real-world potential. We now have the tools to turn aircraft toilets into an early-warning disease system to better manage public health." Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about super-bugs? Let us know via health@ Reference Liu, Y., Smith, W. J. M., Gebrewold, M., Ashbolt, N. J., Keenum, I., Simpson, S. L., Wang, X., & Ahmed, W. (2025). Aircraft lavatory wastewater surveillance for movement of antimicrobial resistance genes: A proof-of-concept study. Microbiology Spectrum.
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Breakthrough Nanobody Tech Hits Lung Cancer Cells Like a Drone Strike
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A nanobody-based technology can precisely identify and attack lung cancer cells—sparing surrounding healthy tissue. This is the promise of researchers at the Bio-Nano Research Center at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), who say that the approach could improve cancer therapy by reducing harmful side effects and maximizing efficiency. The study showed treatment potential for lung adenocarcinoma—a type of non-small cell lung cancer—in particular. This is the most common type of lung cancer seen in the U.S., accounting for 45 percent of all cases in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lung adenocarcinoma often has late detection and high recurrence rates after treatment. Mature man in pain coughing on sofa at home. Mature man in pain coughing on sofa at home. brizmaker/Getty Images Current chemotherapies can attack healthy cells, fail to deliver drugs precisely to cancer cells and lead to side effects. With this in mind, the team developed the 'A5 nanobody'—a tiny antibody that binds to a protein called CD155 found in high abundance on lung cancer cells. The A5 nanobody is around 10 times smaller than conventional antibodies, helping it to penetrate deep into tissues. Crucially, it can bind selectively to cancer cells, leading to a reduction of more than 50 percent in components of cancer spread. The researchers also engineered a drug delivery system called A5-LNP-DOX, which combines the A5 nanobody with liposomal capsules containing the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX). This design acts like a "drone strike," delivering the drug precisely to CD155 targets on the surface of cancer cells, according to the researchers. Pink visual of lung cancer adenocarcinoma cells. Pink visual of lung cancer adenocarcinoma cells. rightdx/Getty Images In the study, A5-LNP-DOX delivered up to three times more drug into cancer cells than conventional methods, significantly enhancing cancer cell death while leaving healthy cells largely unharmed, the researchers found. Tests in animal models and patient-derived organoids showed tumor size reductions of 70–90 percent and substantial increases in cancer cell death markers. Meanwhile, no damage was detected in major organs including the liver, heart or kidneys. "Our study presents a new therapeutic strategy capable of precisely targeting cancer cells and delivering drugs effectively," said study author Juyeon Jung in a statement. "We expect this nanobody-based approach to serve as a versatile platform for treating not only lung cancer but also a variety of other cancers, contributing greatly to the advancement of precision medicine." Newsweek has reached out to the researchers for comment. Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about lung cancer? Let us know via health@ Reference Noh, K., Yi, S., Kim, H., Lee, J., Kim, S., Yoo, W., Jung, E., Choi, J., Park, H., Hwang, S., Kang, J. Y., Park, K.-H., Park, H., Lee, Y., Lim, E.-K., Kang, T., & Jung, J. (2025). Targeting CD155 in lung adenocarcinoma: A5 nanobody-based therapeutics for precision treatment and enhanced drug delivery. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 10(1), 218.
