The big news about this recording of fast radio bursts (FRBs) is that it repeated several times, and in an isolated area (a dwarf galaxy about 1% the mass of the Milky Way). Therefore, it disproves several current theories that the FRBs are caused by one-off events such as a collision between two dense neutron stars; or at least, proves that it is not the only way they could be formed. This leaves three current theories:

One possibility is that the black hole [near the dwarf galaxy] itself is the source. The extreme gravity in its vicinity creates powerful jets of matter traveling at nearly the speed of light. Blobs of ionized gas known as plasma might occasionally drip into these jets, vaporizing in a flash of energy.

Another theory is that the fast radio burst is the gaseous remnant of a supernova with a highly energetic magnetar at its core. Blobs of plasma inside the gassy remnant might occasionally align in such a way that they create an electromagnetic lens that further intensifies the magnetar’s radio wave emissions.

A third possibility is that an object such as a neutron star or magnetar is orbiting the galaxy’s supermassive black hole, creating an unknown type of interaction that is releasing the energy.