Canberra, Australia

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Astronomers have recorded a mysterious signal coming from far away in the distant universe that took eight billion years to reach us. 

According to a paper published in Science journal, the distinctive signal represents 'fast radio bursts' or FRBs, a cosmic phenomenon. 

FRBs are intense but brief pulses of radio waves. They are similar to the radiation emitted by our cell phones or microwaves. However, they originate from distant sources in the universe. 

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FRBs are extremely rare. Despite having the world's most sensitive radio, telescope and computing systems, it's challenging for astronomers to detect FRBs. 

Ryan Shannon, an author of the latest study with Swinburne University of Technology, told Newsweek that FRBs "last only a small fraction of a second." 

"Most FRBs do not repeat, meaning if we want to understand what they are or where they come from, we need to be quick to respond and gather as much detail about them in the few thousandths of the second they pass by Earth," Shannon added.

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In the latest study, the detected FRB, dubbed FRB 20220610A, is the most distinct and ancient recorded to date. The unusually high-energy FRB occurred around eight billion years ago. 

According to the authors, the latest discovery gives new data about the distant universe and questions the present models of FRB emission. 

Astronomers have only detected 50 FRBs to date. The low sample size makes it more challenging to study them. 

However, the source of FRBs remains a mystery. "While we still don't know what causes them, determining that will be a tall task. We are still able to use them as tools. FRBs have the signature of all of the gas they travel through. It makes them incredibly useful for probing the tenuous gas between galaxies," Shannon said. 

Some studies suggest that FRBs originate from magnetars, which are young, hyper-magnetized neutron stars. Neutron stars are dense stars that roughly have the same mass as the Earth's Sun. However, they are only the size of a small city with strong magnetic fields. 

The Australian SKA Pathfinder detected the most recent FRB on 10 June 2022. According to Shannon, FRB 20220610A emitted more energy in a few milliseconds than the sun does in 30 years. However, according to the latest findings, it broke the record for the most distant FRB by around 50 per cent, confirming that such phenomena occur in extremely distant galaxies.

(With inputs from agencies)

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