Researchers have revealed for the first time the existence of a new signature of the birth of the first stars in our galaxy, the Milky Way. More than 12 billion years ago, the intense ultraviolet light from these stars dispersed the gas of our Galaxy?s nearest companions, virtually putting a halt to their ability to form stars and consigning them to a dim future. Now astronomers have explained why some galaxies were killed off, while stars continued to form in more distant objects.

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