Surprising Science — October 11, 2010

Which Came First, the Galaxy or the Black Hole?

At the heart of every galaxy like our own Milky Way lies a supermassive black hole, but scientists are unsure which develops first.

Michio Kaku

Every Wednesday Michio Kaku will be answering reader questions about physics and futuristic science. If you have a question for Dr. Kaku, just post it in the comment section below and check back on Wednesdays to see if he answers it.

Today, Dr. Kaku addresses a question posed by Andy Speight: Are the supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies involved in the formation of those galaxies?

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

▸

7 min

—

with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Pregnant 13-year-old Peruvian Rape Victim Denied Medical Treatment, Confined to Wheelchair [Video]

Republican senate candidate Sharron Angle says that teenagers who are raped should make lemonade out of lemons by bearing their attackers’ children. Angle is one of several senate candidates who […]