--- title: "New Theory: Vast, Ancient Black Holes Formed Because of Dark Matter" description: "New research suggests that supermassive black holes formed in halos of dark matter that serve as \"gravitational glue\" for galaxies." date: "2019-01-24" modified: "2019-01-24" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/ancient-black-holes-dark-matter" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Black Holes" - "Dark Matter" - "Physics" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "astrophysics" - "Black holes" - "space" - "the digest" --- # New Theory: Vast, Ancient Black Holes Formed Because of Dark Matter ![New research suggests that supermassive black holes formed in halos of dark matter that serve as "gravitational glue" for galaxies.]() *\Image: JPL/NASA\* ## Black Holes Researchers have long wondered what led to the formation of the universe's most ancient supermassive black holes — cosmic monsters so old and powerful that astronomers can still see light they produced more than 13 billion years ago. Now, [new research]() published in the prestigious journal *Nature* suggests that those supermassive black holes formed in "halos" of dark matter that serve as "gravitational glue" for galaxies. ## Overly Dense Regions The researchers reached that conclusion after examining the Renaissance Simulation, an enormous data set assembled on a supercomputer to better understand the early universe. They found that supermassive black holes were most likely to form in huge clumps of dark matter — each a mind-boggling 2,400 light-years wide. "It was only in these overly-dense regions of the universe that we saw these black holes forming," co-author John Wise, a professor at Georgia Tech, said in a [press release](). "The dark matter creates most of the gravity, and then the gas falls into that gravitational potential, where it can form stars or a massive black hole." ## Galaxy's Foundations The study is notable not just because it provides a peek into the tumultuous early years of the universe, the researchers say, but also because it opens up directions for future astrophysics research. "The violent and turbulent nature of the rapid assembly, the violent crashing together of the galaxy's foundations during the galaxy's birth prevented normal star formation and led to perfect conditions for black hole formation instead," Dublin City University researcher John Regan said. "This research shifts the previous paradigm and opens up a whole new area of research." **READ MORE:** [Birth of massive black holes in the early universe revealed]() \[*Phys.org*\] ***More on supermassive black holes: [New Image Confirms a Black Hole is Swallowing Our Galaxy]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()