Strange life was born thanks to monster black hole?

(NLĐO) - Planets that may harbor life could be lurking in what are thought to be the deadliest places in galaxies.

An international research team led by the University of Exeter (UK) has just proven something shocking: Active supermassive black holes can nurture life, rather than kill it.

This finding also suggests that scientists may need to reconsider how they select areas for searching for potential life forms.

Life still has a chance of existing on planets relatively close to the galactic center, where raging black holes are located - AI illustration: Thu Anh

At the center of most large galaxies, including

" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{" attribute="" tabindex="0" role="link">our own Milky Way, lies a supermassive black hole, the kind of massive black hole often referred to as a monster black hole.

" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{" attribute="" tabindex="0" role="link">The Milky Way's black hole is currently dormant, while the black holes of many other galaxies that humanity has observed are shining brightly due to their continuous "feeding," called "active galactic nuclei" (AGNs), emitting high-energy radiation throughout the galaxy.

" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{" attribute="" tabindex="0" role="link">Cosmic radiation is a killer for most plants and animals on Earth. But in new research, it may have the opposite effect in many cases.

Through computer simulations, they found that the ultraviolet (UV) radiation from AGNs could alter a planet's atmosphere to either support or hinder life.

Just like the sun's UV rays, it can be beneficial or harmful depending on how life on the planet is exposed to that radiation.

With sufficient distance, once life has become resilient enough to overcome the first hurdle, as early life on Earth began to oxygenate the atmosphere, radiation will become less destructive and may even be a good thing.

"Once that bridge is crossed, the planet becomes more resilient to UV radiation and protected from potential extinction events," the authors told SciTech Daily.

To verify this, the research team also conducted another simulation, in which the young Earth was placed near a hypothetical AGN and subjected to radiation many times greater than that from the Sun.

By recreating Earth's oxygen-free atmosphere during the Archaean eon (approximately 4-2.5 billion years ago), they found that radiation could prevent life from developing.

But as oxygen levels rise, thanks to the activity of primitive microorganisms, to near modern levels, the ozone layer will develop enough to protect the ground below from harmful radiation.

Therefore, the conclusion in The Astrophysical Journal indicates that planets residing in regions relatively close to monstrous black holes are entirely capable of being habitable.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/su-song-ky-la-da-ra-doi-nho-lo-den-quai-vat-19625033009305823.htm