Scientists hit back at dark matter skeptics who say it is is a myth

Dark matter IS real despite recent discovery of galaxies that appear to exist without it, scientists argue in new study they claim ‘removes doubts on the existence’ of the elusive material

  • In a new study scientists say the undercut findings that poke hole in dark matter 
  • Dark matter is used to explain a number of phenomenon in the universe 
  • Despite its popularity, dark matter has never been observed by scientists 
  • Recent discoveries of galaxies sans dark matter have challenged theories 
  • Scientists say their research goes beyond the findings of dark matter skeptics

Researchers say they’ve dispelled skeptics of the most abundant, mysterious, and not to mention, hypothetical, substances in the universe: dark matter.

In a recent paper, researchers from the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) say that they’ve disproved alternate theories that seem to preclude the existence of dark matter by studying one of the most puzzling questions in astrophysics.

The phenomena, known galaxy rotation curves, has to do with discrepancies with the way objects act within a galaxy. 

Dark matter is mysterious and abundant according to theories which say it could account for as much 85 percent of all matter in the universe

While the laws of astrophysics dictate that solar systems and objects that rotate around the outskirts of spiral galaxies should be moving at slower speeds due to lower amounts of luminous matter, the observed velocity in spiral galaxies like our own, the Milky Way, are uniform.

In order to reconcile that observation with our understanding of astrophysics as we know the, specifically Kepler’s Laws, scientists have hypothesized that there is matter on the outskirts, and indeed everywhere in our galaxy that we’re not seeing — dark matter. 

‘We have studied the relationship between total acceleration and its ordinary component in 106 galaxies, obtaining different results from those that had been previously observed,’ said Paolo Salucci, professor of astrophysics at SISSA and one of the research authors.

‘This not only demonstrates the inexactness of the empirical relationship previously described but removes doubts on the existence of dark matter in the galaxies.

‘Furthermore, the new relationship found could provide crucial information on the understanding of the nature of this indefinite component.’

Dark matter has also been used to explain the formation of galaxies and their unique shapes, acting like a kind of glue that holds their form together. 

Though popular among astrophysicists, dark matter has yet to be observed by any scientists which has lead some to grow skeptical over the substance’s existence.

Recently, the credence of dark matter was under scrutiny by researchers that say by tweaking our laws of gravitational theory, the explainable phenomena like those seen in galaxy rotation curves can be reconciled by current models. 

The discovery which lead researchers to their skepticism of dark matter was a galaxy which contained almost none of the substance.  

In a startling discovery researchers say they've found not one but two galaxies without almost any dark matter.

In a startling discovery researchers say they’ve found not one but two galaxies without almost any dark matter.

‘We thought that every galaxy had dark matter and that dark matter is how a galaxy begins,’ said Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University in a statement regarding the discovery last year.

‘This invisible, mysterious substance is the most dominant aspect of any galaxy. So finding a galaxy without it is unexpected.

‘It challenges the standard ideas of how we think galaxies work, and it shows that dark matter is real: it has its own separate existence apart from other components of galaxies…’

They recently discovered a second of such galaxies in April. 

Scientists at SISSA, however rebut dark matter heretics with their newest study which tests expands analysis to galaxies outside of spiral ones like our own.

‘Three years ago, a few colleagues of the Case Western Reserve University strongly questioned our understanding of the universe and the in-depth work of many researchers, casting doubt on the existence of dark matter in the galaxies,’ said Chiara Di Paolo, a doctoral student of astrophysics at SISSA.

Their new results, which studied 72 galaxies with low surface brightness (LSB) and 34 dwarf disc galaxies, as well as take into account morphology and galactic radius, swing back in dark matter’s favor, they say. 

WHAT IS DARK MATTER?

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe.

The enigmatic material is invisible because it does not reflect light, and has never been directly observed by scientists.

Astronomers know it to be out there because of its gravitational effects on known matter.

The European Space Agency says: ‘Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe. It is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together (artist's impression)

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe. It is thought to be the gravitational ‘glue’ that holds the galaxies together (artist’s impression)

‘That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.

‘Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.’

The material is thought to be the gravitational ‘glue’ that holds the galaxies together.

Calculations show that many galaxies would be torn apart instead of rotating if they weren’t held together by a large amount of dark matter.

Just five per cent the observable universe consists of known matter such as atoms and subatomic particles.

 

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