Radio telescope detects 10 billion-year-old signal from early universe

Key points

• A radio telescope has detected a 10-billion-year-old signal from the early universe, captured as a millisecond flash of light called FRB 20240304B.
• The signal, recorded by the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa, is the oldest fast radio burst (FRB) discovered and may help scientists understand the universe better.
• Researchers from the University of Sydney and Swinburne University suggest potential sources for FRBs include magnetars, but the exact cause remains unknown.