In June 2000, astronomers made an amazing discovery that could potentially solve one of cosmology’s most fundamental problems – how and why galaxies are formed. Incredibly, the answer involves some of the weirdest, most destructive and terrifying objects in the universe – supermassive black holes.

Scientists are starting to believe that the destructive forces they generate actually help trigger the formation of galaxies and consequently are at the heart of the creation of stars, planets and, ultimately, life itself.