Study claims to provide first direct evidence of dark matter (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/science@lemmy.world

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Astrophysicist Prof Tomonori Totani says research could be crucial breakthrough in search for elusive substance

Nearly a century ago, scientists proposed that a mysterious invisible substance they named dark matter clumped around galaxies and formed a cosmic web across the universe.

What dark matter is made from, and whether it is even real, are still open questions, but according to a study, the first direct evidence of the substance may finally have been glimpsed.

More work is needed to rule out less exotic explanations, but if true, the discovery would go down as a turning point in the decades-long search for the elusive substance that is said to make up 27% of the cosmos.

“This could be a crucial breakthrough in unraveling the nature of dark matter,” said Prof Tomonori Totani, an astrophysicist at the University of Tokyo, who said gamma rays emanating from the centre of the Milky Way appeared to bear the signature of the substance.

Details are published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

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[-] Krudler@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

You read the article and realize that no, it is evidence for precisely fuck all.

[-] DagwoodIII@piefed.social 1 points 2 weeks ago

Not a physicist.

I seem to recall that there was an article sometime back that claimed that the 'dark matter' theory had been disproven, or was being strongly reconsidered.

Can someone point me to a good layperson explanation?

Thank you.

[-] magiccupcake@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I am a physicist, studying dark matter.

Firstly, It would be nearly impossible to prove that dark matter definitely does not exist.

And secondly, there are no alternatives to dark matter that come even close to explain our universe as successfully as dark matter.

That doesn't mean it's right, but any explanation without dark matter is not favored IMO.

[-] My_IFAKs___gone@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago

Daniel and Kelly' Extraordinary Universe podcast discussed it in an entertaining and enlightening episode I enjoyed amidst a snow storm last year: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-can-we-see-dark-matter/id1436616330?i=1000440743429

It made me wonder if ancient gravitational waves reverberating throughout the cosmos could be the culprit, but it appears not based on current evidence.

[-] someacnt@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Wow, so they observed the emitted gamma rays directly, meaning we basically saw the dark matter directly? This is exciting! Of course more research would be warranted, tho.

[-] riskable@programming.dev 0 points 2 weeks ago

So... just like on Earth, the majority of the universe is full of wimps! And Black Holes are the universe's version of, "suck it up, buttercup!"

[-] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 0 points 2 weeks ago

Wasn't dark matter just a placeholder for unaccounted for mass? Now it's supposed to be an actual distinct thing?

[-] roguetrick@lemmy.world 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yeah the whole reason we can't account for it according to the wimp theory is that it doesn't really interact with the EM force much so it would be impossible to see and kind of pass right through you even if you ran into it. When everything you use to see the universe both big and small is mediated by EM, completely missing something isn't that surprising. More ghost matter than dark, really.