--- title: "Dark Matter’s Effect Is 10x What It Should Be, Scientists Say" description: "According to new research, dark matter may be an even bigger mystery than we initially thought. The theoretical maps aren't lining up with observations." date: "2020-09-11" modified: "2020-09-11" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/dark-matter-effect-10x-should-be" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Dark Matter" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "dark matter" - "ESO" - "galaxy cluster" - "galaxy clusters" - "hubble space telescope" - "NASA" --- # Dark Matter’s Effect Is 10x What It Should Be, Scientists Say ![According to new research, dark matter may be an even bigger mystery than we initially thought. The theoretical maps aren't lining up with observations.]() *\Image: NASA/ESA/J. Lotz (STScI)\* According to new research, dark matter may be an [even bigger mystery]() than previously believed. The stuff is thought to make up a significant percentage of the mass of the universe — yet it's near impossible to study, let alone observe. Physicists have had to resort to studying the way dark matter bends light between distant sources such as a galaxy and the observer, an effect called "gravitational lensing." The higher the concentration of dark matter, the more pronounced the effect. But when a team of European researchers looked at data from the Hubble Space Telescope and the Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, they found that the gravitational lensing effect around massive structures called "galaxy clusters" was ten times as strong as predicted by simulations. "We have done a lot of testing of the data in this study, and we are sure that this mismatch indicates that some physical ingredient is missing either from the simulations or from our understanding of the nature of dark matter," said Massimo Meneghetti, of the INAF-Observatory of Astrophysics and Space Science of Bologna in Italy and lead author of [a paper]() about the research published today in the journal *Science,* in [an ESA statement](). In other words — we're missing a key ingredient. "One possible origin for this discrepancy is that we may be missing some key physics in the simulations," Meneghetti said in a [NASA statement](). To conduct their research, Meneghetti's team produced a "dark-matter map" using observations from of a sample of three massive galaxy clusters. They discovered something unexpected: smaller-scale images nested within larger lens distortions in each galaxy cluster's core. In other words, the gravitational lensing effect was significant, leading them to believe they had stumbled upon dense concentrations of dark matter. The discrepancy highlights just how little we know about the mysterious stuff that appears to make up most of the known universe. **READ MORE:** [Dark matter might be even stranger than we thought, according to Hubble]() \[*Digital Trends*\] **More on dark matter:** *[Astronomers Discover Deep-Space “Structure,” 1.4 Billion Light Years Across]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()