New Scientist tells us that a “Galactic zoo took shape near the dawn of the universe”:
The universe’s galactic zoo evolved into recognisable species a mere 2.5 billion years after the big bang. An extensive survey of massive galaxies in the early universe shows that the objects had adopted the same distinct colours and shapes we see among mature galaxies today.
The find deepens a mystery surrounding the processes that create our galactic catalogue, says Mauro Giavalisco of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In the 1920s astronomer Edwin Hubble sorted the massive galaxies we see today into two general types based on their shapes and colours. Galaxies that are discs or spirals are mostly blue, a sign that they are forming new stars. Blobby spheroidal galaxies, meanwhile, are red and are no longer making stars.
We could undeepen “the mystery” by just assuming that sudden emergence is normal, and that that is most likely because there is some kind of intelligence behind the universe.
We can always consign the multiverse and the Boltzmann brains to a playground somewhere. No one said all that stuff wasn’t fun. But that’s all it is.
Hat tip: Matthew Cochrane