Mysterious new repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) have been picked up coming from space, according to a a new study.
Astronomers do not know what causes the FRBs but 25 were counted during the research carried out by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), working with the University of Toronto.
There are now a total of 50 known repeating FRBs and it has led scientists to believe that there may be more than they had first thought.
And the latest research has also led study team member Ziggy Pleunis, at the University of Toronto, to believe that the repetitions are not just by chance.
He said: "We can now accurately calculate the probability that two or more bursts coming from similar locations are not just a coincidence."
Scientists were able to establish that the radio bursts were repetitions by combing through data of all the FRBs.
Some of the fast radio bursts have never repeated and also the difference in characteristics, for instance in frequencies, has also led astronomers to question if they have varied origins.
Adaeze Ibik, a University of Toronto Ph.D. student, said: "It is exciting that CHIME/FRB saw multiple flashes from the same locations, as this allows for the detailed investigation of their nature.
"We were able to hone in on some of these repeating sources and have already identified likely associated galaxies for two of them."
Astronomers remain unclear about what are the radio bursts but they appear to be coming from dying stars.
FRBs are bright flashes of light that register in the radio band of the electromagnetic spectrum. Put into context they contain 10 trillion times the annual energy consumption of the world population.
"FRBs are likely produced by the leftovers from explosive stellar deaths. By studying repeating FRB sources in detail, we can study the environments that these explosions occur in and understand better the end stages of a star's life," Dr Pleunis said.
"We can also learn more about the material that's being expelled before and during the star's demise, which is then returned to the galaxies that the FRBs live in."
A group at Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in 2017 did suggest that the FRBs could be coming from alien transmitters that are powering interstellar probes.
Investigations are continuing into the FRBs as scientists attempt to understand more about them.
