The JWST has revolutionized our understanding of star and galaxy formation during the
first billion years of cosmic history. Among the main surprises is the abundance of UV-bright,
massive galaxies already at these early times. An even bigger puzzle is the presence of
supermassive black holes in many of the first galaxies. How could such massive structures
have emerged on such short timescales? I will review some of the key lessons for our understanding
of how the cosmic dark ages ended, and how this is stress-testing standard cosmology.
Cody Hall, 50 St. George Street
Volker Bromm, Department of Astronomy, UT Austi
April 01, 2026
2:00pm - 3:00pm