Webb finds tiny early galaxies that may hide neutrino sources
The James Webb Space Telescope just spotted "little red dot" galaxies from way back, about 600 million years after the Big Bang.
These tiny galaxies, which fade away before the universe turns two billion years old, might be hiding black holes inside thick clouds of gas and dust.
Scientists think these hidden black holes could help explain where mysterious high-energy neutrinos on Earth actually come from.
Collisions near black holes produce neutrinos
Neutrinos are super elusive particles made when matter collides in dense, energetic places, like around these black holes.
Unlike gamma rays, neutrinos can slip through almost anything and travel across the universe.
As team leader Riku Kuze puts it, "In the scenario we considered, abundant photons and dense gas are expected to exist around the central black hole in a little red dot, which may allow such collisions to occur efficiently."
Figuring out how these galaxies produce neutrinos could finally help scientists understand a big piece of our universe's puzzle.