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Dark matter may allow giant black holes to form in the early universe

The long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so huge so quickly could be solved by decaying dark matter

By Leah Crane

16 September 2024

Dark matter could have boosted black hole growth

ESA/Hubble

Decaying dark matter may solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes formed in the early universe, giving them time to grow into the behemoths that they are now. If dark matter particles exist at the right masses, their decay could cause the black holes to be born big.

Read more

Why the big bang may not have been the beginning of the universe

There are several ideas for how supermassive black holes form, but one of the simplest is direct collapse, in which a huge cloud of gas in…

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