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Q&A: Black Holes



Q:

Can the recent discovery about black holes "recycling" fuel help us here on Earth?

A:


Illustration of Fuel for a Black Hole Engine
Chris Reynolds, one of the scientists involved in the study, provided this answer:

"It's hard to envisage how any kind of technology we can conceive of now could harness this," Reynolds said. "The first thing you need is a black hole, and we can't make them yet. The only thing we can envision now is to sit back and behold the wonder of nature at being able to do this."

Chris was discussing the possibility of using black holes in an Earth-based technology. There are thought to be a lot of black holes in our galaxy, but these are WELL beyond the reach of our spaceships. So, we're going to need other sources of "green" energy besides black holes.

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