Scientists studying the brightest and most violent regions of galaxies have stumbled onto an unexpected discovery: supermassive black holes may be among the most prolific planet factories in the universe, potentially producing millions of worlds in the turbulent discs of gas and dust that surround them.

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are created when supermassive black holes get consumed by huge, swirling rings of gas and dust referred to as accretion discs.

The extreme gravitational friction in these........

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