The black hole powering the quasar has a record mass relative to the stars of the host galaxy The 1.4-billion-solar-mass black hole powering a remote quasar named ULAS J1120+0641 (illustrated) in the constellation Leo is half as massive as the stars in the surrounding galaxy, a ratio greater than that seen in any other quasar

Excerpt from the November 2, 1974 issue of Science News Jupiter has at least 95 moons and thousands of smaller objects orbiting it. In this near-infrared image taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, three of the largest moons cast shadows (dark spots) across the planet’s face. NASA, ESA, E. Karkoschka/ Univ. of Arizona Jupiter’s new

Shifting smiles with face filters reveals how technology can manipulate feelings of attraction A video speed-dating experiment revealed the power of a smile: Subtle enhancements led to higher levels of attraction. David Malan/Stone, Getty Images A well-timed smile could be the ultimate speed-dating hack. Smiles enhanced by artificial intelligence during video chats led to higher

The animals can act as “mixing vessels” for human and bird flu viruses Because both bird and human influenza viruses can infect pigs, the animals sometimes act as mixing pots where flus can swap genes and adapt in ways that help them infect new hosts. These pigs are pictured at a farm in Switzerland. Sabina

Icy moves Stonehenge’s central stone, known as the Altar Stone, may have had Scottish and not Welsh origins, researchers say. The finding suggests that Late Neolithic groups had long-distance connections, Bruce Bower reported in “Stonehenge’s roots extend to Scotland” (SN: 9/7/24 & 9/21/24, p. 10). Reader Ralph Bradburd wondered if a glacier, not humans, could

Pompeii. Machu Picchu. Stonehenge. Angkor Wat. The Great Pyramid of Giza. Those of us who grew up in Western cultures tend to think of archaeology as the study of a place — a point on the map where edifices or artifacts tell us something important about past people and cultures. Archaeologists have tended to think

How the filaments have held their shape for so long remains a mystery  A shell of dust and a crown of spiky filaments surround the supernova remnant Pa 30 (illustrated), which is associated with a stellar explosion seen from Earth in 1181. Adam Makarenko, W.M. Keck Observatory Some 6,500 light-years from Earth lurks a zombie

New experiments suggest a DIY way to become aware of when you are dreaming A phone app could nudge users toward having more lucid dreams for recreation or research. patronestaff/istock/getty images plus If you want to have a dream where you know you’re dreaming, you might be in luck. A phone app seems to boost

This hulking mutant of Synechococcus elongatus stores more carbon and sinks more quickly than other strains Chonkus, a mutant strain of cyanobacteria seen here in a microscopy image, contains large white spots that appear to be carbon-dense granules. Those granules may explain why the cyanobacterium grows so large in a carbon-rich environment — and why it sinks

A new study finds that rising placebo responses may play a part in the increasingly high failure rate for clinical trials of drugs, but the authors of the study say that the increase in placebo responses occurred only in trials conducted in the United States. Accepted for publication in the journal Pain, the study analyzed