--- title: "New Study Claims Dark Matter Doesn’t Exist" description: "A recent study by international scientists states that dark matter and dark energy doesn't exist. Learn more about this news." date: "2021-01-06" modified: "2021-01-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/new-study-claims-dark-matter-doesnt-exist" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Dark Matter" - "Space" tags: - "dark matter" - "gravitational pull" - "newton" --- # New Study Claims Dark Matter Doesn’t Exist ![In a recent study, an international group of scientists argue that dark matter doesn't exist. It's simply our limited scientific understanding of gravity.]() *\Image: Illustris Collaboration/Victor Tangermann\* The prevailing theory among scientists is that roughly three quarters of all the stuff in the universe is made up of "dark matter," a mysterious substance that interacts with visible matter via gravity. Despite its ubiquitousness, though, scientists have yet to find direct evidence of its existence. According to a new study by an international team of scientists however, this search could be for nothing, [*NBC News* reports](). Instead, they argue that our limited scientific understanding of gravity may be unable to account for the strange gravitational behavior of galaxies. In other words, it's not dark matter causing the behavior — we simply don't fully understand the natural laws governing matter. In [their recent study](), the team argues that an idea first established in the early 1980s called the modified Newtonian dynamics theory (MOND) could explain the existence of strange gravitational behavior of stars that scientists conventionally explained with dark matter. In short, the theory replaces Newtonian dynamics and General Relativity as posited by Albert Einstein, and argues that the gravitational force of experienced by a star should be calculated in entirely different ways. "What we're really saying is that there is absolutely evidence for a discrepancy," co-author Stacy McGaugh, head of the astronomy department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, told *NBC*. "What you see is not what you get, if all you know about is Newton and Einstein." A number of theories have been put forward trying to explain what dark matter could be, from primordial black holes to weakly interacting massive particles known as WIMPS. McGaugh argues that the MOND theory has been able to predict a number of astronomical observations since it was first brought up in the 80s. "MOND is the only theory that has succeeded in this way," McGaugh told *NBC*. "It is the only theory that has routinely had all predictions come true." **READ MORE:** [Maybe 'dark matter' doesn't exist after all, new research suggests]() \[*NBC News*\] **More on dark matter:** *[New Theory: Dark Matter Was Created by “Boiling” Bubbles of Plasma]()* ## 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]()