Scientists Observe Brightest-Ever Flare from a Supermassive Black Hole

/in /tarafından

Astronomers have observed the brightest flare ever recorded from a supermassive black hole — an event so luminous it shone with the energy of 10 trillion suns.

The cosmic flash, discovered by the Palomar Observatory in California in 2018, reached its peak brightness over three months and has been gradually fading ever since. Researchers believe the phenomenon occurred when a massive star drifted too close to the black hole and was torn apart by its immense gravitational pull.

“At first, we didn’t really believe the numbers about the energy,” said Matthew Graham of the California Institute of Technology, which operates the observatory. The findings were published Tuesday in Nature Astronomy.

The flare originated from a supermassive black hole located about 10 billion light-years away — the most distant of its kind ever observed. Because the light took so long to reach Earth, the event offers a glimpse into a time when the universe was still young.

Supermassive black holes, which lurk at the centers of most galaxies, including the Milky Way, remain among the most mysterious cosmic objects. Scientists suspect they form early in galactic evolution, but the exact process is still unknown.

By studying flares like this one, researchers hope to better understand the extreme environments around these enormous gravitational wells and how they influence the growth and structure of galaxies.

Joseph Michail of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, who was not involved in the research, said the discovery allows scientists “to probe the interaction of supermassive black holes with their environments early in the universe.”

These distant cosmic fireworks, he added, illuminate not just the depths of space, but the history of the universe itself.

Gemini AI Set to Make Google Maps a Conversational Travel Companion

/in /tarafından

Google Maps is being reimagined with the help of Gemini, Google’s flagship artificial intelligence system, transforming the navigation app into a more conversational and interactive companion for drivers.

The new design, announced Wednesday, integrates Gemini’s generative AI to create a hands-free experience that allows users to ask for directions, recommendations, and insights naturally — as if speaking to a knowledgeable passenger. Instead of relying solely on distances and street names, the upgraded app will reference landmarks to make navigation more intuitive.

“No fumbling required — now you can just ask,” Google said in a blog post unveiling the redesign. The company emphasized that Gemini’s new conversational features will help users discover restaurants, shops, and attractions on the go while keeping their focus on the road.

Google said it has implemented safeguards to prevent AI “hallucinations” — instances where chatbots generate incorrect information — to ensure accurate and reliable guidance. The data powering Gemini’s responses will come from Google Maps’ extensive database of more than 250 million places built up over two decades of user reviews.

The AI-powered Maps update will roll out soon to both iPhone and Android devices, reaching Google’s global user base of over 2 billion people. By embedding Gemini directly into Maps, Google aims to demonstrate the real-world utility of its AI technology and strengthen its position against rivals like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

This move continues Google’s broader AI transformation, which has already reshaped its search engine to prioritize conversational results over traditional web links.

India Begins Repatriation of Citizens Who Fled Myanmar Cybercrime Center

/in /tarafından

India has begun repatriating hundreds of its nationals who fled from a major cybercrime hub in Myanmar following a military raid on the facility last month. The operation marks the latest effort to rescue victims of human trafficking linked to Southeast Asia’s booming online scam industry.

An Indian Air Force transport plane departed Thailand on Thursday carrying 270 people, with another flight scheduled later in the day. A total of 465 Indians will be flown home from the Thai border town of Mae Sot, where they had taken refuge after escaping the notorious “KK Park” compound in Myawaddy, Myanmar, according to Thai army commander Maj. Gen. Maitree Chupreecha. The remaining group is expected to leave on Monday.

Myanmar’s military raided KK Park in mid-October, part of a wider crackdown on cyber scams and illegal gambling operations that have flourished along its borders. The compound reportedly hosted a large-scale scam network where foreign workers — many trafficked or deceived by false job offers — were forced to run fraudulent online schemes.

In total, more than 1,500 people from 28 countries fled the Myawaddy raid. Thai authorities temporarily housed nationals from India, China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and Kenya while coordinating repatriation with their governments.

The United Nations estimates that cyber scam centers across Southeast Asia generate nearly $40 billion annually, often using trafficked labor. While Myanmar’s junta says it is dismantling such operations, independent media including The Irrawaddy report that scam networks continue to operate in Myawaddy despite the raids.

The issue has drawn global attention: the U.S. and U.K. recently sanctioned organizers of a Cambodian scam ring, while South Korea was shaken by the death of a young man believed to have been lured into one such operation.