New Research Reveals Decline in Star Formation Despite Ample Hydrogen, Posing Cosmic Evolution Puzzle

An international team, using China's FAST radio telescope and DESI data, found that star formation has significantly declined over the past 4.5 billion years. This occurs despite a stable supply of neutral hydrogen, a key ingredient for stars. Published in *Nature Astronomy*, this discovery challenges current cosmic evolution models by indicating the slowdown isn't due to hydrogen exhaustion. It shifts the focus to why star formation is becoming more difficult despite abundant gas, impacting our understanding of galaxy evolution.