Science: In the century since the first distant galaxies were recognized, astronomers have learned much about how galaxies form and evolve.
But they still don’t know to what extent a galaxy’s properties are determined by its inner workings or through interactions with its surroundingsâmdash;such as the Milky Way’s potential collision with Andromeda in 3 billion years. In short, astronomers want to know how much of a galaxy’s character is set by nature and how much by nurture.To solve that puzzle, some astronomers are searching for rare galaxies well isolated from their neighbors. By comparing these loners to their more-gregarious brethren, researchers hope to tease apart the inherent inner workings of galaxies and the effects of interactions.
