Galactic Smashups Leave Giant Black Holes Hungry  A sample of the galaxies studied; sorted based on whether they show no signs of a recent merger (top row), minor signs (middle) or major disruptions (bottom).  The black spot in the center of each galaxy ensured that the test was blind. The team blocked out the bright nuclei from active galaxies and added a spot to galaxies with dim centers, so the sorters couldn't tell which was which.  Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Cisternas (Max-Planck Institute for Astronomy)