Why Do Astronomers Seek the Most Distant Galaxies?

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July 07, 2022

Dear Reader, This week's top story, from astrophysicist Fabio Pacucci, explains why he and other researchers are seeking the oldest, most distant galaxies in the universe. Pacucci is a co-discoverer of a candidate galaxy, HD1, that if confirmed would be the current record-holder. But HD1 is unlikely to maintain its superlative status for long, as many more objects even deeper in the cosmic abyss should soon be revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope, which is releasing its first science images next week (stay tuned for our coverage!). Moving on, we also have stories reflecting on the 10th anniversary of the discovery of the Higgs boson, and the triumph of Maryna Viazovska, a Ukrainian mathematician who is among the elite recipients of this year's prestigious Fields Medals. Enjoy!

Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space & Physics @LeeBillings

Astrophysics Why Do Astronomers Seek the Most Distant Galaxies? By finding and studying the universe's oldest objects, we can reveal hidden fundamental chapters of cosmic history By Fabio Pacucci

Quantum Physics 10 Years after the Higgs, Physicists Are Optimistic for More Discoveries The Large Hadron Collider recently reopened after upgrades and is ready to explore new territory By Marcela Carena

Mathematics Ukrainian Mathematician Becomes Second Woman to Win Prestigious Fields Medal Maryna Viazovska, who works on the geometry of spheres, is one of four winners of the coveted prize this year By Davide Castelvecchi,Nature magazine

Mathematics Mathematicians Are Trying to 'Hear' Shapes--And Reach Higher Dimensions An intriguing question about drums kicked off decades of inquiry By Rachel Crowell

Particle Physics See the Strange Underground Detector Probing Neutrino Mysteries The LEGEND-200 detector could help explain why matter dominates the known universe By Joanna Thompson

Planetary Science New Satellite Is a 'Swiss Army Knife' in Space The hyperspectral probe can pick out extreme detail of materials on Earth's surface By Megan I. Gannon

Politics Evidence Shouldn't Be Optional This Supreme Court often ignores science when handing down decisions, and it affects far too many lives By The Editors

Particle Physics Poem: 'On Visible Light' Science in meter and verse By Donna Kane

FROM THE STORE Extraterrestrials and the Search for Life Do aliens exist? The enduring mystery of whether we're alone in the universe is a question that continues to drive scientific study into groundbreaking directions. This collection examines the latest thinking in the search for life, from discussing why we haven't found evidence of aliens so far to determining where and how to conduct the search to opening up the possibilities for what otherworldly life could truly look like.

QUOTE OF THE DAY "Less than one LHC collision in a billion produces a Higgs boson, so the initial discovery was like finding a needle in a very large haystack... The challenge now is akin to searching for something in a haystack when you don't even know if you are seeking a needle or some other object entirely." Marcela Carena, particle physicist

FROM THE ARCHIVE Multidimensional "Sphere Packing" Solutions Stack Up as a Major Mathematical Breakthrough Ukrainian mathematician Maryna Viazovska recently figured out how spheres could be efficiently arranged in eight and 24 dimensions By Evelyn Lamb | June 2016

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