Complex sentence: The gas, dust, and ambient magnetic fields of the galaxies, however, do interact directly in a collision, and as a result, the smaller galaxy has probably lost most of its intergalatic medium to the larger one.
Split into simpler sentences: The gas, dust, and ambient magnetic fields of the galaxies, however, do interact directly in a collision. As a result of this interaction, the smaller galaxy has probably lost most of its intergalatic medium to the larger one.