New DEVILS survey reveals how cosmic neighborhoods shape galaxy evolution

The Deep Extragalactic Visible Legacy Survey (DEVILS) has published its first set of data. The survey explores how a galaxy’s position in the universe affects its evolution over time. Its findings show that environment plays a major role in shaping galaxies’ growth, size, and structure. DEVILS examined galaxies from up to five billion years ago to the present day. It is the first study to analyse distant galaxies in such detail. The results reveal that galaxies in crowded regions grow more slowly and develop different shapes compared to isolated ones.

In dense areas, galactic interactions and competition for resources can hinder star formation. This often leads to what researchers call 'galactic death'. The survey also confirms that a galaxy’s local environment significantly influences its development.

The team has now made all DEVILS data publicly available for further research. Next year, they plan to expand the project with the Wide Area VISTA Extragalactic Survey (WAVES). WAVES will study more galaxies and environments to improve understanding of the universe’s evolution. The initial DEVILS data provides new insights into how galaxies change over time. By studying more regions with WAVES, researchers aim to build a more complete picture of cosmic history. The public release of the data allows other scientists to contribute to this ongoing work.