Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary of current science news briefs. Ferocious black holes reveal 'time dilation' in early universe Time is a slippery thing, as profound thinkers like physicist Albert Einstein and, well, fictional time traveler Dr. Who plainly understood.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Ferocious black holes reveal 'time dilation' in early universe

Time is a slippery thing, as profound thinkers like physicist Albert Einstein and, well, fictional time traveler Dr. Who plainly understood. The latter, in a 2007 episode of the British sci-fi series, accurately described time as "wibbly wobbly." Scientists made that point anew on Monday in a study that used observations of a ferocious class of black holes called quasars to demonstrate "time dilation" in the early universe, showing how time then passed only about a fifth as quickly as it does today. The observations stretch back to about 12.3 billion years ago, when the universe was roughly a tenth its present age.

EU seeks revised GMO rules to loosen curbs on gene-edited crops

The European Commission proposed a revision of its rules on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on Wednesday to provide some loosening of restrictions for plants resulting from newer gene-editing technology. The EU executive said farmers would secure access to climate or pest resistant crops with less fertilisers or pesticides and consumers would be able to buy food with better nutritional value or reduced levels of allergy-causing substances.

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