The universe appears to be speaking to us, after a centuries old “echo” from a supermassive black hole was detected by scientists. The black hole located inside the Milky Way became active around 200 years ago and produced a sound that is now being studied. The research was published in Nature and focuses on the black hole named Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) found 26,000 light-years away from Earth. The noise was triggered when the object consumed gas and dust, with particles moving into the event horizon. The findings could teach us more about the activity of supermassive black holes, which continue to intrigue and confound scientists. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Author of the research Dr Frederic Marin of Strasbourg University said: “It reveals the past awakening of this gigantic object – which is four million times more massive than the Sun. “Our work presents the missing piece of evidence that X-rays from the giant molecular clouds are due to reflection of an intense, yet short-lived flare produced at or nearby Sagittarius A*. These results can further constrain the past activity of the galactic centre.” By their very nature, black holes are difficult to study as they absorb light around them, and these new findings offer insight into a fascinating part of space. Dr Marin said: “To get an idea of the increase in intensity of the X-ray emission when the black hole emerged from its quiescent state, it is as if a single glow-worm hidden in a forest suddenly became as bright as the Sun. “These findings explain why galactic molecular clouds near Sgr A* are shining more brightly than usual. It is because they are reflecting the X-rays emitted by Sgr A* 200 years ago.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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Snapchat users have been left feeling “freaked out”, with some claiming they have deleted the app, after its AI chatbot appeared to post a short video onto its own Story. Several Snapchat users took to social media on Tuesday night to share screen recordings and screengrabs of the short clip which was posted on the Story of the My AI account in what Snapchat has described as a “temporary outage” which has since been resolved. The video, which played for a few seconds, appeared to display a beige background with a different colour at the top of the frame, leading some users to suggest that it showed the corner between a ceiling and a wall. Taking to Twitter, one user said the uploaded Story “freaked me out so I deleted the app”, while others were left fearing the AI feature had evolved or become sentient. Many users then reported that the video was deleted and the AI chat feature temporarily ceased to respond to users’ questions, instead indicating it was experiencing a technical issue in its replies. Rolled out globally earlier this year, Snapchat’s My AI chatbot is designed to respond to users’ messages like a friend, providing answers to trivia, offering advice, and giving recommendations based on location if a user shares their geolocation with the app. A spokesperson for Snapchat said: “My AI experienced a temporary outage that’s now resolved.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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Elon Musk said the interests of the US and China are “intertwined like conjoined twins” during his surprise visit to China on Tuesday amid strained diplomatic ties between the countries. The Tesla billionaire reached Beijing in his first visit to the country in over three years, visited China’s top ministries and discussed electric vehicles. Mr Musk also met China’s foreign, commerce, and industry ministers and dined with Zeng Yuqun, the chairman of top battery supplier CATL. The visit garnered a lot of attention in China and revealed adulation for Mr Musk from Chinese social media users, even as the relationship between Washington and Beijing plummeted. “The interests of the United States and China are intertwined like conjoined twins,” Mr Musk was quoted as saying by the foreign ministry of China. He was later also quoted by the country’s commerce ministry as saying that relations between the two countries were not a zero-sum game in which one side must lose if the other were to win. While little is known of the discussions the Twitter chief is having – as he remains unusually quiet on social media – Mr Musk and industry minister Jin Zhuanglong “exchanged views on the development of new energy vehicles and intelligent networked vehicles”, said the ministry. China, responsible for half of all global electric vehicle sales, serves as the location for Tesla’s first factory outside the US. The company reportedly submitted applications to expand its production facilities in Shanghai. Mr Musk’s plans were still awaiting approval as he earlier said it faces some “constraints”. The talks are expected to be aimed at easing this expansion, believe observers. The billionaire’s visit has also generated a lot of interest among China’s netizens. Some called him “a pioneer” and “Brother Ma”, in an oblique reference to Jack Ma, while others said he should become the next US president. “He’s a global idol,” wrote one Chinese social media user. “Elon Musk is just great, if only China could have someone like Elon Musk,” said another. In recent months, foreign companies have been facing increasing pressure in China, with a recent crackdown on international consulting firms. Both the US and China have also imposed restrictions on each other’s chipmakers. American companies are also facing pressure from outside as increasing threats of military escalation with Taiwan forces businesses to diversify their supply chains away from China. Mr Musk, however, touted the Asian country’s development as its ministers assured they were looking at increased cooperation. The Chinese government statement cited Mr Musk as saying Tesla was willing to expand its business in China and “opposes decoupling” – a reference to fears the world may split into multiple markets with incompatible products. On Tuesday, foreign minister Qin Gang told Mr Musk that China will “unswervingly promote high-level opening up” and create a “market-oriented, law-based and internationalised business environment”, said the government statement. “China’s development is an opportunity for the world,” it said. Mr Qin also told Mr Musk that China’s electric vehicle market “has broad prospects for development”. Mr Musk is expected to meet other senior Chinese officials and visit the Shanghai plant later in the week, reported Reuters citing sources. With China's economy also experiencing a slowdown and facing internal and external challenges, like anti-monopoly measures and the US-Chinese political tensions respectively, the ruling Communist Party has been engaging with more prominent CEOs off late. Chinese premier Li Qiang earlier held discussions with Apple’s Tim Cook, Pfizer’s Albert Bourla, Rio Tinto’s Jakob Stausholm and Toshiaki Higashihara of Hitachi, reiterating China's commitment to creating a favourable business environment. Read More Elon Musk meets Chinese foreign minister on first visit for three years What is superintelligence? How AI could wipe out humanity – and why the boss of ChatGPT is doomsday prepping Tesla's Musk meets Chinese foreign minister, who calls for 'mutual respect' in US-China relations Shanghai breaks 100-year-old heat record amid intense heatwave Keeping 1.5C alive ‘bottom of desired outcomes for global businesses at Cop28’ Typhoon Mawar inches closer to Japan threatening to bring heavy rains and winds

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