world of weird things podcast: how do you solve a problem like dark matter?
While the crew of Futurama figured out what dark matter is, and the sinister secret behind how it was harnessed as starship fuel, scientists haven’t been as successful. What we do know is that it makes up nearly a quarter of the universe while all but 4% of the remaining mass is attributed to a force called dark energy, so we can’t just ignore it while we study the cosmos. And with so many experiments ruling out hypothesis after hypothesis as to what these two might be, some researchers are asking whether dark matter exists and if instead of running in circles, we should try to answer a question that’s also stumped us for a long time: how does gravity work?
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Articles covered or touched on in this episode…
– Looking For The Ghosts Of Dark Matter Past…
– Peeking At Dark Matter During A Tidal Strip Show
– Dark Matter, Dark Energy And Now, Dark Flow
– Why Gravity Is The Force You Think You Understand, But Actually Don’t
– There May Not Be Dark Matter Or Energy, Just Gravity. We Just Don’t Know How.
– How Scientists Accidentally Solved The Universe’s Weight Problem
Related articles and further reading…
– Yes, We’re Still Stuck With Dark Matter
– Explaining The Origins Of Dark Matter. Or Not.
– Eliminating Dark Matter With An Intuitive Culprit
– The Universe’s Dark Side Prepares For A Siege
Intro/outro by Absolute Valentine, courtesy of Lazerdiscs Records
