Super-bright black holes could reveal if the universe is pixelated

Space-time, the so-called fabric of physical reality, may be made of tiny, discrete pieces stitched together. A preliminary analysis of the way matter orbits quasars suggests we could find evidence of this cosmic quilt in the universe’s most extreme neighbourhoods.

Much of the understanding we have of the make-up of our universe comes from probing matter at smaller and smaller scales. Think of fluids, says Jonathan Gorard…