A black hole at the center of a distant galaxy has suddenly erupted, giving off plumes of gas every 8.5 days. These “hiccups” suggest black hole accretion disks may be more varied than previously thought, possibly containing other black holes, and even entire stars.

Rafael Jaramillo relishes the challenge of developing more environmentally friendly semiconductor materials. “I am proudest of things that required risky strategic thinking, followed by years of technical slog, followed by validation,” he says.

Are all minerals crystals? Do diamonds last forever? Where do the minerals in our cellphones come from? Gabriela Farfan PhD ’19, curator of gems and minerals at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, answers these questions and more.

New research shows school quality ratings significantly reflect the preparation of students, not just the school’s contribution to learning gains. A lot of decision-makers “are being misled by a kind of naïve interpretation of the data,” Josh Angrist says.

Engineers designed an artificial reef that mimics the wave-buffering effects of coral reefs and provides pockets for marine life. The structure could dissipate more than 95 percent of incoming wave energy using a small fraction of the material normally needed.

Danielle Wood was a guest on a recent episode of Science Friday, discussing the role of space lawyers, what cases they may argue, and how the rules of space — and the potential for conflicts — are evolving.