Mysterious cosmic signals carry a clue to their origins

On its way to Earth, burst of radio waves ran into dense plasma, strong magnetic fields

illustration of a magnetar

BIG BURST  Starquakes on highly magnetic neutron stars known as magnetars (illustrated) are one possible source of extragalactic bursts of radio waves, new research suggests. 

L. Calçada/ESO

Enigmatic blasts of cosmic radio waves are dropping hints about their origins.