Scientists discover black holes spinning unexpectedly fast: ‘You’re essentially looking at its fossil record’

Scientists have discovered that some supermassive black holes rotate much more rapidly than expected. The discovery came as the result of a new form of “black hole archeology” that links black hole spins to the gas and dust they have consumed to grow over 7 billion years of cosmic history. The findings, courtesy of the … Read more

The contentious genius who made black holes real

The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius Patchen Barss Basic (2024) In the early days of a book project that would span six years, writer Patchen Barss had the best stroke of luck a biographer can hope for. His subject, the Nobel prizewinning mathematical physicist Roger Penrose, brought him a bundle of … Read more