Scientists have detected a black hole that's taken a record-breaking decade to devour a star — and it's still chewing away. The food fest is happening in a small galaxy 1.8 billion light-years from Earth. University of New Hampshire research scientist Dacheng Lin said that black hole feeding frenzies have been observed since the 1990s, but they've lasted just a year. At 11 years and counting, this is the longest known one yet.

Shark considered for threatened species list

The oceanic whitetip shark's declining status in the wild warrants listing as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, the National Marine Fisheries Service has determined. The shark is found around the world, mostly in open water. The listing would be the most widespread shark listing in the U.S. to date. Threats to the sharks include fishing pressure all over the world, as their fins are prized in Asian markets for use in soup. The sharks have declined by 80 to 90 percent in the Pacific Ocean since the 1990s, and 50 percent to 85 percent in the Atlantic Ocean since the 1950s. The fisheries service is expected to make a final decision in November.

These deep-sea fish are built to eat big

It's cold and dark in the deep ocean. You eat what you can get. Here, big mouths help predators eat big prey. That may be why barbeled dragonfish have special head joints that allow them to open up their mouths 120 degrees and swallow big prey whole. This flexible joint, described for the first time in a new study, allows the fish to move its head up and out, permitting it to engulf large prey that can sustain it for long periods without additional food. Like the moray eel, barbeled dragonfish use a second set of teeth to pull the victim into their bodies for digestion.

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