"Super quasars" – extremely bright galactic centers powered by supermassive black holes – are the likely culprits behind galaxies shutting down star formation long before they should have in the very young universe, according to a Nature paper led by a team of University of Arizona astronomers.

Circularly polarized luminescent materials emitting red to near-infrared light are of interest for technologies such as 3D displays and bioimaging. However, achieving high emission efficiency, stability, and durability simultaneously has remained a challenge. In a recent study, researchers at Kyushu University developed a new series of small luminescent radicals with exceptional photoluminescence efficiency and photostability. Their work demonstrates how a favorable electronic structure, chirality, and light emission can be achieved in a single molecular system.

A violent volcanic eruption in the South Pacific has revealed a surprising natural mechanism that could potentially help slow global warming. The finding provides entirely new insights into atmospheric chemistry and may inspire new methods to remove methane emissions from the air.