Inbox Astronomy: Scientists Identify 'Astronomy=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99s_Platypus'_with_NASA=E2=80=99s_?=Webb Telescope

INBOX ASTRONOMY

Scientists Identify 'Astronomy’s Platypus' with NASA’s Webb Telescope

Release date: Tuesday, January 6, 2026 12:16:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

A small sample of galaxies discovered in Webb’s archive exhibit a previously unseen combination of features that hint at a possible new population of galaxies.

At the 247th meeting of the American Astronomical Society, researchers have shared preliminary but tantalizing results after a detailed analysis of James Webb Space Telescope archival data: a small sample of tiny galaxies that don’t fit in existing categories. Principal investigator Haojing Yan compares them to an infamous misfit in another branch of science, biology’s taxonomy-defying platypus. Has the research team discovered a missing link in the cosmos? Full details are on NASA.gov.

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