---
title: "This Week in Science: Oct 27 – Nov 2"
description: "From giant black holes swallowing our galaxy to the cutting edge of stem cell research, here are our top science stories of the week."
date: "2018-11-02"
modified: "2018-11-07"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/week-science-oct-27-nov-2"
categories:
  - "Science & Energy"
tags:
  - "fusion power"
  - "martian soil"
  - "stem cell research"
  - "This Week in Science"
---

# This Week in Science: Oct 27 – Nov 2

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/TWIS1.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Tag Hartman-Simkins\</em\>*

Does it ever feel like your world is being swallowed by a giant black hole? Turns out you might be on to something.

Here are six stories in the world of science that caught our attention this week.

[New Image Confirms a Black Hole is Swallowing Our Galaxy.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/black-hole-milky-way>) New evidence confirms the existence of Sagittarius A\*, a black hole long assumed to reside at the center of the Milky Way.

[A Stem Cell Transplant Let a Wheelchair-Bound Man Dance Again](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/stem-cell-transplant-multiple-sclerosis>). A man bound to a wheelchair for 10 years by multiple sclerosis (MS) can now walk and dance following an experimental stem cell transplant.

[Report Identifies China as the Source of Ozone-Destroying Emissions.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/ozone-destroying-emissions-china>) A new report narrows down the source of the emissions that continue to destroy the ozone, despite being banned since 2010.

[Tech Billionaires Are Pouring Money Into Fusion Research.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nuclear-fusion-research-billionaires>) A slew of tech billionaires, including Bill Gates and Richard Branson, are determined to make cost-effective nuclear fusion a reality.

[Scientists Want Your Help Crafting a Message to Aliens.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/arecibo-message-aliens>) Scientists want to craft an updated version of the Arecibo Message, a radio communication that marked humanity's first attempt to talk to aliens.

[NASA Scientists Think They Can Extract Rocket Fuel From Martian Soil.](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-scientists-extract-rocket-fuel-martian-soil>) NASA is hard at work on a "factory" that would let future Mars missions — or even colonists — extract rocket fuel from Martian soil.

Read More: [This Week in Science: Oct 13 – Oct 20](<https://futurism.com/week-science-oct-13-oct-20>)

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)