Primordial black holes are hypothetical objects that could have formed directly from dense clumps of matter in the very early universe. If they exist, their dramatic origins would set them apart from the black holes we see today, which form when massive stars collapse. Some theories suggest that “stupendously large” primordial black holes could account for a significant share of the universe’s elusive dark matter.

We typically think of the moon as a static, floating object that has remained the same for basically its entire lifetime, with an occasional asteroid impact serving as an exception. That understanding is grounded in physics—the moon should have cooled rapidly after forming when a huge protoplanet hit the early Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. But some lunar material returned from the Chang’e-5 mission was notably formed only around 2 billion years ago, yet appeared to be volcanic in origin.

A figure in red trudges across a blanket of white. Snow squeaks under the scientist’s feet, too dry to be slick or soft. Only a line of flags and a few large buildings—the scientist’s destination—break up the landscape. The sun hovers on the horizon, never quite setting against a blue sky devoid of clouds.