September 29, 2023: A new explanation for a mysterious kind of quasar, fish collagen that can heal dogs' corneas and the human brain is a pattern-recognizing machine. —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | | Black Hole Feeding Frenzy | Supermassive black holes may tear apart and devour their disk of surrounding dust and gas within months to years, much faster than the previously believed time frame of centuries to millennia. Researchers using one of the world's largest supercomputers generated a three-dimensional simulation of a black hole with a tilted accretion disk. The accretion disk acts like a gyroscope, spinning and wobbling at different angles and speeds. The force of this movement warps spacetime itself, which pulls the accretion disk apart. Why this is cool: This observation, if true in real life, could explain the existence of so-called changing-look quasars. Quasars are galactic cores where dust and gas fall into a black hole and release brilliant flares of electromagnetic radiation. Changing-look quasars dim and brighten on the order of months; that is a perplexing time line, given the massive scales involved, but it would be explained by this new observation.
What the experts say: "We have something new that must look interesting observationally," says Nick Kaaz, a graduate student in astrophysics at Northwestern University, who led the new study. "And then there's something observationally that's a mystery that could be a natural match for this story." | | | Tilapia skin is rich in collagen, and this structural protein's abundance has made the fish a popular resource in veterinary and human medicine. Mirza Melo, a veterinary ophthalmologist in northeastern Brazil's Ceará state, tested tilapia skin to treat corneal ulcers and perforations in dogs, particularly those with short snouts. The 400-plus dogs Melo has treated so far have shown no pain or problems with infection after surgery. They also healed quickly, with minimal scarring that would affect postsurgical care.
How it works: Collagen is known to stimulate cellular growth and to prompt the generation of various tissues. A tilapia's collagen supply and quality remain high throughout the fish's entire life, as opposed to some other animal sources that depend on the animals' age and weight. Melo developed a pure collagen matrix that resembles a sheet of paper. Surgeons suture the membrane over the dog's corneal lesion so it can act as a cell-growth scaffold.
What the experts say: Melo is now looking to use the technique on cats, and she says discussions have already begun on how to adapt it for humans. | | | • If you're in the New York metro area today and experiencing flash flooding, here's an explainer of what is IN those waters. | 3 min read | | | • The human brain sees astounding patterns in places like sports (some players seem to go through hot streaks) or in hospital births (nurses often report strings of all girls or all boys being born). We often attribute these surprising observations to luck or other forces, but the truth is, with big enough data sets, wild things are bound to happen naturally, writes David G. Myers, a social psychologist at Hope College. | 6 min read | | | ICYMI (Our most-read stories of the week) | | | • Is Consciousness Part of the Fabric of the Universe? | 10 min read | | | • The Loss of Dark Skies Is So Painful, Astronomers Coined a New Term for It | 4 min read | | | • Pangaea Ultima, the Next Supercontinent, May Doom Mammals to Far-Future Extinction | 3 min read | | | Another week in the books. I'm fascinated by the idea that humans see connections and patterns everywhere. This seems to manifest itself in harmless observations about new babies and sports statistics, but can also generate misinformation and conspiracy theories. We have a powerful reasoning tool in our heads, but it must be checked from time to time with evidence and facts. | —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor | | Subscribe to this and all of our newsletters . | | | | Scientific American
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