Scientists Pinpoint First Direct Evidence of Dark Matter, a Mysterious 27% of the Universe's Mass
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have claimed to spot the first direct evidence of dark matter, a substance that has long been shrouded in mystery. According to Prof Tomonori Totani, an astrophysicist at the University of Tokyo, gamma rays emanating from the center of our galaxy appear to exhibit the signature of this elusive material.
For decades, scientists have been searching for dark matter, which is thought to make up a staggering 27% of the cosmos. Its very existence was first proposed in the 1930s by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky, who observed that distant galaxies were spinning faster than their mass allowed. Since then, countless theories and hypotheses have emerged, but a definitive proof has remained elusive.
One theory suggests that dark matter is composed of particles known as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which are heavier than protons but interact with normal matter only minimally. When WIMPs collide, they can annihilate each other, releasing gamma rays in the process. Using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Totani spotted a pattern of gamma rays that appears to match the predicted shape of dark matter halos.
However, skeptics remain cautious, citing the need for further verification and ruling out alternative explanations. Prof Justin Read of the University of Surrey notes that the absence of significant signals from other regions of space, such as dwarf galaxies, argues against Totani's claims. Similarly, Prof Kinwah Wu of UCL urges caution, stating that extraordinary evidence is still needed to confirm this groundbreaking discovery.
While more work is required to validate these findings, the implications are profound. If true, this breakthrough would represent a major turning point in our understanding of the universe and the mysterious substance that permeates it.
In a groundbreaking discovery, researchers have claimed to spot the first direct evidence of dark matter, a substance that has long been shrouded in mystery. According to Prof Tomonori Totani, an astrophysicist at the University of Tokyo, gamma rays emanating from the center of our galaxy appear to exhibit the signature of this elusive material.
For decades, scientists have been searching for dark matter, which is thought to make up a staggering 27% of the cosmos. Its very existence was first proposed in the 1930s by Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky, who observed that distant galaxies were spinning faster than their mass allowed. Since then, countless theories and hypotheses have emerged, but a definitive proof has remained elusive.
One theory suggests that dark matter is composed of particles known as weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which are heavier than protons but interact with normal matter only minimally. When WIMPs collide, they can annihilate each other, releasing gamma rays in the process. Using data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, Totani spotted a pattern of gamma rays that appears to match the predicted shape of dark matter halos.
However, skeptics remain cautious, citing the need for further verification and ruling out alternative explanations. Prof Justin Read of the University of Surrey notes that the absence of significant signals from other regions of space, such as dwarf galaxies, argues against Totani's claims. Similarly, Prof Kinwah Wu of UCL urges caution, stating that extraordinary evidence is still needed to confirm this groundbreaking discovery.
While more work is required to validate these findings, the implications are profound. If true, this breakthrough would represent a major turning point in our understanding of the universe and the mysterious substance that permeates it.
?? This new discovery sounds legit tho gotta give credit to these scientists, their patience & persistence are impressive 
. The fact that they're getting close to a theory that makes up 27% of the universe's mass? mind blown 
. Can't wait for more data & studies to come out 
It's crazy to think about 27% of the universe's mass being some kind of invisible stuff! I mean, imagine what other weird things are out there that we don't know about yet... this discovery is super exciting and also a little mind-blowing. They've been searching for this stuff for decades so it's awesome they finally found something concrete 
But at the same time, I get why some scientists are skeptical - they want to make sure it's not just some weird anomaly that can be explained by other things. Fingers crossed they keep digging and figure out what dark matter is all about 
. im so glad prof totani finally found proof cuz that would be AMAZING 
. i just hope they can figure out what it actually is tho, wimps or whatever...
. I'm curious, what could be the implications of this discovery on our understanding of space and time? Maybe it'll lead to some groundbreaking technology or new ways of exploring the universe 
. On the other hand, it's also good that scientists are being cautious and waiting for more verification 
And think about it, if we find out it's not just a weird hypothetical thing but actually existing stuff out there... that would be AMAZING!!! 
The implications are huge, like how is our whole understanding of space gonna change 
, scientists need to do more tests and verifications. But the fact that they've got some solid data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope is still super exciting! 
they claim 2 hav spotted dark matter 4 the 1st time! 
I mean, we're talking about 27% of the universe's mass here, but no one can even see or touch it? Sounds like a conspiracy theory to me 
Gamma rays are just the tip of the iceberg, and there's gotta be more to this whole WIMP thing than meets the eye 
I'm not saying Totani's findings aren't interesting, but we need to wait for some serious peer review before we start getting too excited 
. The idea that it might be made up of WIMPs just blows my mind 
. It's gonna be fascinating to see where this research takes us 
. Of course, there are still some skeptics out there who want more proof, but I think we're looking at a major breakthrough here 
! It's like, the universe is full of secrets and we're just starting to scratch the surface 
, but prof totani just claimed to spot direct evidence of it through gamma rays! i know some ppl are skeptical, but if this holds up it'll change everything we think we know about the universe 
. We might finally have an answer to what makes up 27% of the cosmos and it could change everything we thought we knew about space!