Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Detection of fluorine in absorption in a star-forming galaxy at redshift 4.4
Fluorine is a fascinating element in many ways. We report the detection of fluorine (in the form of hydrogen fluoride) in a lensed galaxy at z=4.4, seen as it was 1.3 billion years after the Big Bang. This detection may give valuable clues to the highly debated formation conditions of this element.
Massive Galaxies May be Crucial for the Enrichment of Cosmic Metal in the Early Universe
We report a galaxy around a strong metal absorber at redshift of 6. This galaxy has halo mass of four hundred billion solar mass, an order of magnitude more massive than that expected from simulations, suggesting that massive galaxies are important in transporting metals than perviously thought.
Controlled impact experiment on Mars using InSight and Perseverance
In February 2021, the InSight team attempted to 'listen' to the seismic waves produced by the tungsten blocks ejected from the Mars 2020 spacecraft during landing. Even though no waves were detected, this impact experiment can still help us learn about the subsurface structure of Mars.