Scientists discover massive 'pipeline' in the cosmic web connecting the universe

Now, scientists led by Hai Fu, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Iowa, have spotted what they describe as a “pipeline” gas filament feeding an enormous galaxy that formed when the universe was 2.5 billion years old, about one fifth of its current age.

The results showed that the stream lacked heavy elements such as aluminum, carbon, iron, and magnesium. Since the environment inside massive galaxies like SMM J0913 is constantly being enriched with heavy elements, which are spewed out by the explosion of stars, this telltale hint demonstrated that the gas was getting piped in from outside of the galaxy, from a depleted environment.

This is so insanely cool. A pipeline that transports star making materials to galaxies in need to aide them in growing? This is a topic of research that is going to have mind-blowing results the more we learn.