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posted by martyb on Monday July 15 2019, @09:26PM   Printer-friendly
from the Gaaark-fluid dept.

From New Atlas

Although it makes up about 85 percent of all matter in the universe, dark matter is frustratingly hard to pin down. In order to figure out what it is, much of the search is about ruling out what dark matter isn't, and now physicists at Stanford and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have narrowed it down further. Using observations of galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, the team found that dark matter is likely lighter than previously thought – and interacts even less with normal matter.

For everything to fit together neatly, dark matter must have a lighter mass and must be "warmer" (i.e. moves a bit faster) than previously assumed. It also seems to interact even less often with regular matter – about a thousand times more weakly than the previous limit. That might explain why none of the many experiments designed to detect those interactions have registered any signals yet.


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  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @09:40PM (11 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @09:40PM (#867330)

    The "Dark matter" theory has never been used to successfully predict (as opposed to post-dic) anything in 70-100 years it has existed. Time to give it up.

    • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Gaaark on Monday July 15 2019, @09:46PM (5 children)

      by Gaaark (41) on Monday July 15 2019, @09:46PM (#867335) Journal

      Yup!
      "If we change and add to dark matters properties enough, we can make it fit ANYTHING we want! It's dark, it's not so dark, its African American, it grows in your ass and is pooped out......"

      Or, it doesn't exist and we need a better idea.

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:35PM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:35PM (#867351)

        Any difference I propose to be caused by plaid matter, which I estimate to be 83% the mass of the universe.

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:23AM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:23AM (#867379)

          Dark matter is souls. Doesn't interact except through gravity. Metaphysics: Matheson's What Dreams May Come and ST:TNG s01e06 (beware unsexy Riker) with Interstellar, so we can include love as a fundamental force (unless we can unify love and gravity to one force). Use theosophy or Sailor Moon Stars saga method to keep things organized beyond the 1 star system model most religions use. Possibly lifestream but not iifa or great kharlan tree (kharlan tree is multiple star system but not compatible with this theory).

          Plaid matter is the speed force that makes the universe expand. (obviously lol)

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @04:05AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @04:05AM (#867418)

            You mean Sailor Moon Sailor Stars. For scientific work, it's important to get the names correct. :D

            • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday July 16 2019, @10:32PM

              by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Tuesday July 16 2019, @10:32PM (#867723) Journal

              But which version, the one where the three fundamental Kou particles just *dress* like men when they're untransformed, or the one where they actually turn into men in civilian form? That has implications for the theory!

              --
              I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
      • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 16 2019, @01:04AM

        by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday July 16 2019, @01:04AM (#867389) Journal

        Modded TROLL!?! PROVE ME WRONG!

        What in my statement is wrong? Please correct me!

        --
        --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 3, Informative) by Gaaark on Monday July 15 2019, @09:47PM (3 children)

      by Gaaark (41) on Monday July 15 2019, @09:47PM (#867336) Journal
      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:18PM (2 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:18PM (#867344)

        Yes, any theory that explains MOND is interesting to me.

        • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:34PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:34PM (#867350)

          Unified theory of spergs and trolls.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:03PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:03PM (#867358)

            I really hope this Epstein thing takes down the theoretical physics cabal too.

    • (Score: 2) by Immerman on Tuesday July 16 2019, @07:05PM

      by Immerman (3985) on Tuesday July 16 2019, @07:05PM (#867663)

      And the alternative theories that explain observed reality to a similar level of accuracy, but have also have managed to predict something are...?

      Take your time, I'll wait.

      There are some interesting alternative theories out there, but so far not one of them has managed to outperform dark matter. And so, as is so often the case in science, as in most other realms of human endeavor, inertia reigns supreme.

      Heck, at least we can test Dark Matter, even if we keep coming up negative. How the heck are we supposed to test f(G) gravity?

  • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:20PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @10:20PM (#867345)

    None. None more darker.

    You know there's a problem with a physics paper written it can be reduced to a Spinal Tap quote.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:21PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:21PM (#867362)

      It's a shade lighter than a black hole.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:24PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:24PM (#867363)

        How do you define a shade?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:55AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:55AM (#867388)

          verb;
          To screen from direct light.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @02:26AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @02:26AM (#867405)

      On a scale where white = 0 and Black = 10, Dark Matter Goes to Eleven!!

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Tuesday July 16 2019, @07:26AM

      by FatPhil (863) <{pc-soylent} {at} {asdf.fi}> on Tuesday July 16 2019, @07:26AM (#867449) Homepage
      You'll be telling me next that the strength of the interactions are 1728x weaker than previously thought?
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:56PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 15 2019, @11:56PM (#867371)

    follow me around on my next beer fueled chili bender. i'll be able to take care of all your dark matter needs.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:39AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 16 2019, @12:39AM (#867384)

    directly quoting the https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab1eb2 [iop.org]
    I suspect the authors themselves understand the real nature and function of the ever-changing dark matter theory pretty well.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Tuesday July 16 2019, @01:11AM

      by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday July 16 2019, @01:11AM (#867391) Journal

      Who wrote that...redundantised Mad magazine writers?

      --
      --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
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