Scientists have examined the interstellar invader 3I/ATLAS, finding evidence that it is packed with water that could be older than the solar system.
Astrophysicists don't know if direct-collapse black holes are real. They were hypothesized to explain how the Universe could contain supermassive black holes (SMBH) so early. They don't require a stellar progenitor, nor do they require hierarchical merging. Instead, they collapse due to instability in a gas cloud, much like stars do.