A solution to Darwin's 'mystery of the mysteries' emerges from the dark matter of the genome Oct 27, 2009
New research into this field by basic scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online Oct. 22 in Science Express, suggests that the solution to this problem lies within the "dark matter of the genome": heterochromatin, a tightly packed, gene-poor compartment of DNA found within the genomes of all nucleated cells. "Speciation is one of the most fascinating, unsolved problems in biology," said Harmit Malik, Ph. (EurekAlert!)
How To See a Black Hole Oct 27, 2009
Unlike earlier efforts, their model also takes into account the unseen halo of dark matter that surround the visible portion of the galaxy. This turned out to have an unexpected affect on the way the model calculates the mass in the stars that illuminate the galaxys core. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Galileo upended science Oct 25, 2009
"Dark matter" and "dark energy" deemed to account for 96 percent of the cosmos are other theorised puzzles. If the LHC answers them, it could once again throw science into a period of fruitful crisis before a new consensus emerges. (iAfrica.com)
Unknown Force Acting On Dark Matter? Oct 23, 2009
Is Unknown Force In Universe Acting On Dark Matter ... Is Unknown Force In Universe Acting On Dark Matter ... 23, 2009) An international team of astronomers have found an unexpected link between mysterious 'dark matter' and the visible stars and gas in galaxies that could revolutionise our current understanding of gravity. (Science Daily)
Bright light hints at a dark centre to the Galaxy Oct 20, 2009
The Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope has captured flashes of high-energy -ray light that might come from dark matter, according to Lisa Goodenough of New York University in New York City and Dan Hooper at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois ... "We were really shocked just how well a simple dark matter model accommodated this data," says Hooper ... Measurements of the faint afterglow left by the Big Bang suggest that dark matter could make up as much as 85% of the... (Scientific American)
Collider gearing up for bizarre test Oct 19, 2009
I'm not talking about extra dimensions of space-time, dark matter or even black holes that eat the Earth. No, I'm talking about the notion that the troubled collider is being sabotaged by its own future. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
Design Star' focuses on baby's health Oct 16, 2009
This year's "10 to Watch" is topped by Taylor Schilling, a wisp of a woman whose only real credit before landing the starring role on the new NBC medical series, "Mercy," was the film "Dark Matter.". Schilling finds all of the attention she's getting a little alien. (Fresno Bee -- Lifestyle)
Homestake water level 15 feet below 5,000-foot level Oct 15, 2009
The Large Underground Xenon detector will search for an elusive substance called "dark matter.". Rapid Reply. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Jumping Genes, Gene Loss And Genome Dark Matter Oct 9, 2009
They suggest strategies for finding this 'dark matter' of genetic variation ... " The results also give, for the first time, a minimum measure of the rate of CNV mutation: at least one in 17 children will have a new CNV. In many cases, that CNV will have no obvious clinical consequences. However, for some the effects are severe. In those cases the data are captured in the DECIPHER database, a repository of clinical information about CNVs designed to aid the diagnosis of rare disorders in young... (Science Daily)
Balloon probe seeks clues to universes start Oct 6, 2009
Research could help answer questions about pervasiveness of dark matter ... The high-flying research could help answer big questions about how the universe began and the pervasiveness of dark matter. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Heart Of A Galaxy Emits Gamma Rays Oct 5, 2009
(July 9, 2009) Astrophysicists have solved a mystery that led some scientists to speculate that the distribution of certain gamma rays in our Milky Way galaxy was evidence of a form of undetectable "dark matter". . (Science Daily)
SARS spurs China to act on AIDS Oct 5, 2009
More than two dozen galaxies of all shapes and sizes show the same ratio of dark matter to normal matter in their central regions current theories can't explain why. Most read. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
Yale physicist to speak at Mines Oct 2, 2009
Yale University physicist Daniel McKinsey will host "Facing the Challenge of Dark Matter," at 4:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, in Room 252 of the Electrical Engineering/Physics Building on the campus of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology ... McKinsey will explain how the Large Underground Xenon detector at the Sanford Lab will search for a leading candidate for dark matter -- the "weakly interacting massive particle.". (Rapid City Journal, SD)
James Webb Space Telescope Begins To Take Shape At Goddard Oct 1, 2009
The NIRCam will detect the first galaxies to form in the early universe, map the morphology and colors of galaxies; detect distant supernovae; map dark matter and study stellar populations in nearby galaxies. NIRSpec's microshutter cells can be opened or closed to view or block a portion of the sky which allows the instrument to do spectroscopy on many objects simultaneously, measuring the distances to galaxies and determining their chemical content. (Science Daily)
First lab blast successful Sep 24, 2009
Technicians, many of them former Homestake miners, already have removed tons of steel from the cavern to prepare it for the LUX detector, which will search for an elusive substance called dark matter, according to Lab spokesman Bill Harlan. The second experiment, the Majorana detector, will further study neutrinos. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Latest 'NCIS' has best shot among new dramas Sep 22, 2009
" Newcomers light up the screen on new fall TV shows. PASADENA -- Every television season features a group of actors who, even if their new shows crash and burn, should be watched because they've got a certain je ne sais quoi. This year's "10 to Watch" is topped by Taylor Schilling, a wisp of a woman whose only real credit before landing the starring role on the new NBC medical series, "Mercy," was the film "Dark Matter. " Schilling finds all of the attention she's getting a little alien. The... (Fresno Bee)
'Extraordinary results' expected from Hubble Sep 19, 2009
A big question in both astronomy and physics is the nature of dark matter and dark energy, Leckrone said: "What's causing the universe's expansion to speed up, to accelerate? One of the ways in which Hubble will investigate this mystery is by refining astronomers' understanding of Type 1A supernovas, the so-called standard candles that tell how far apart galaxies are from each other a key to understanding how fast they are speeding away from each other. Another way the space telescope will... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Refurbished Hubble gets off to a flying start Sep 12, 2009
Gravitational lensing proves a vital tool for astronomers when measuring the dark matter distribution in massive clusters, since the mass distribution can be reconstructed from its gravitational effects. An instrument on Hubble that had been left for dead prior to the servicing mission earlier this year has revealed some of the composition of the gas ejected by the mighty star eta Carinae during its dramatic outburst all the way back in 1843. (Astronomy Now Online)
After repairs, new space images from Hubble unveiled Sep 11, 2009
Examining such images, astronomers can study details of galaxies that existed before the Milky Way was born and chart the distribution of mysterious dark matter in the universe. Weiler noted that the telescope was now in the best shape of its 19-year life in orbit, far surpassing the ambitions of its founders, and that it could last for at least another five years. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Toothless 'Vampire Diaries' a bit too familiar Sep 10, 2009
This year's "10 to Watch" is topped by Taylor Schilling, a wisp of a woman whose only real credit before landing the starring role on the new NBC medical series, "Mercy," was the film "Dark Matter." ... This year's "10 to Watch" is topped by Taylor Schilling, a wisp of a woman whose only real credit before landing the starring role on the new NBC medical series, "Mercy," was the film "Dark Matter.". (Fresno Bee)
* Climate change entrepreneurs pitch ideas to attract funding Sep 6, 2009
The company says it may have tapped the energy that cosmologists have struggled to explain, called dark matter, which fills the universe. The concept involves shifting electrons in hydrogen molecules X obtained cheaply from water X into a lower orbit, releasing energy in the process. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Fall shows feature fresh faces Sep 5, 2009
" This year's "10 to Watch" is topped by Taylor Schilling, a wisp of a woman whose only real credit before landing the starring role on the new NBC medical series, "Mercy," was the film "Dark Matter. " In "Mercy," Schilling plays a headstrong nurse with a military background. She brings to mind Ellen Pompeo, who was also relatively unknown when ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" went on the air in March 2005. Schilling will draw fans to "Mercy" as Pompeo did with "Grey's. (Erie Times-News, PA)
Milky Way will be 'puffed up' not ripped apart Sep 5, 2009
This supercomputer simulation screenshot shows the density of dark matter in our Milky Way Galaxy (blue through to yellow indicates increasing concentrations), with a bright central region corresponding roughly to the Milky Way's luminous matter of gas and stars and the bright clumps indicating dark matter satellites orbiting the Galaxy ... The study also shows that the mysterious dark matter component of the Universe plays an important role ... Astronomers suspect that all galaxies are embedded... (Astronomy Now Online)
Cosmic Encounter: Neighboring Galaxies Collided Sep 5, 2009
Nearly 40 years ago, astronomers learned that galaxies are embedded in extended halos of dark matter. Our observations now show that stars also inhabit these outer halos, says Dr. Widrow. (Science Daily)
NASA's vision needs some hard questions Sep 2, 2009
NASA should not have to sacrifice programs that are truly ground-breaking - researching dark matter, black holes and gravitational fields of space objects - to keep the international space station manned and supplied. Now that the station is nearly complete, this might be an optimal time to open space to entrepreneurs. (Juneau Empire)
Is The Milky Way Doomed To Be Destroyed By Galactic Bombardment? Probably Not, Study Says Sep 1, 2009
The mysterious dark matter that makes up most of the universe plays a role, the study found. Astronomers believe that all galaxies are embedded within massive and extended halos of dark matter, and that most large galaxies lie at the intersections of filaments of dark matter, which form a kind of gigantic web in our universe ... Ohio State University astronomer Stelios Kazantzidis and his colleagues performed detailed computer simulations of galaxy formation to determine what would happen if a... (Science Daily)
Particles As Tracers For Milky Way's Most Massive Explosions: 'Dark Matter' Origins Of Mysterious Flux Challenged Aug 20, 2009
19, 2009) Astronomers recently observed a mysterious flux of particles in the universe, and the hope was born that this may be the first observation of the remnants of "dark matter" ... Several theories were presented that suggested that these particles arise from the decay of "dark matter" - the hypothetical material that is believed to influence the rotation of galaxies ... Dark matter is one of the most challenging questions in astrophysics. (Science Daily)
The Origin of the Universe Aug 19, 2009
The first microsecond was the formative period when matter came to dominate over antimatter, the seeds for galaxies and other structures were planted, and dark matter (the unidentified material that holds those structures together) was created ... Over the past 20 years the pace of progress has accelerated with the realization that dark matter is not made of ordinary atoms, the discovery of dark energy, and the dawning of bold ideas such as cosmic inflation and the multiverse ... Galaxies... (Scientific American)
To understand the universe, science calls on the ultrasmall Aug 17, 2009
"If there's a difference between a neutrino and an antineutrino, maybe theoretically that's one source of the asymmetry between matter and anti-matter in the universe." Yeh adds that neutrinos could be a solution to another mystery dark matter, an energy that makes up almost one-quarter of the universe's mass. Like neutrinos, non-baryonic dark matter has virtually no interaction with ordinary matter. (EurekAlert!)
Planck Sees Light Billions Of Years Old Aug 17, 2009
20, 2006) Dark matter may have played a major role in creating stars at the very beginnings of the universe. If that is the case, however, the dark matter must consist of particles called "sterile neutrinos". (Science Daily)
As important as Darwin Aug 17, 2009
Yet their discoveries from planets around other stars that may support alien life, to dark matter and energy of unknown nature that are the dominant stuff of reality are no less world-changing than his. Moderns may be more comfortable than medievals with the idea that man s notion of his place within the universe can suddenly change. (The Economist)
Hard-to-see fund trading costs are on the rise Aug 16, 2009
It s an attempt to shed light on what Morningstar s Kinnel calls the fund industry s equivalent of dark matter, the mysterious particles that astronomers believe exert a strong gravitational pull even though they can t be detected. There are way too many funds with over 100 percent turnover, Kinnel said. (Boston Globe)
Computer Scientists Take Over Electronic Voting Machine Aug 13, 2009
com) -- The Milky Way, like many other galaxies, is thought to be embedded in massive, lumpy amounts of dark matter that release gamma rays and other emissions. Although at first these emissions seem. (Newsmax)
Particle Collider: Key Tool or Black Hole? Aug 8, 2009
And they still have other questions about antimatter, dark matter and particle mass they want to answer with CERN's new collider ... ALL THINGS include protons, neutrons, quarks, gluons, "other FORCES, and particles" "antimatter, dark matter and particle mass". (CBS News)
Damaged collider to restart at half energy Aug 8, 2009
And they still have other questions about antimatter, dark matter and particle mass they want to answer with CERN's new collider. They hope the fragments that come off the collisions will show on a tiny scale what happened one-trillionth of a second after the so-called Big Bang, which many scientists theorize was the massive explosion that formed the universe. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Study offers ideas on why tiny galaxies lost stars Aug 5, 2009
Dark matter outweighs normal matter by a factor of five to one in the universe as a whole. advertisement. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Giant particle collider fizzles, adding to mysteries of life Aug 5, 2009
But scientists say it could be years, if ever, before the collider runs at full strength, stretching out the time it should take to achieve the collider's main goals, like producing a particle known as the Higgs boson thought to be responsible for imbuing other elementary particles with mass, or identifying the dark matter that astronomers say makes up 25 percent of the cosmos ... But scientists say it could be years, if ever, before the collider runs at full strength, stretching out the time it... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
No Dark Matter Origin For Mystery Radiation Aug 2, 2009
Integral Disproves Dark Matter Origin For Mystery Radiation ... Integral Disproves Dark Matter Origin For Mystery Radiation ... 2, 2009) A team of researchers working with data from ESA s Integral gamma-ray observatory has disproved theories that some form of dark matter explains mysterious radiation in the Milky Way. (Science Daily)
NRL's Large Area Telescope explores high-energy particles Jul 29, 2009
A more exotic possibility is that the particles are evidence of the existence of dark matter ... While researchers have never directly and conclusively observed dark matter, it could be that the excess electrons LAT observes are the result of interactions or decays of the theorized dark matter particles. (EurekAlert!)
NASA celebrates Chandra X-Ray Observatory's 10th anniversary Jul 24, 2009
With its unrivaled ability to create high-resolution X- ray images, Chandra has enabled astronomers to investigate phenomena as diverse as comets, black holes, dark matter and dark energy ... Chandra has provided the strongest evidence yet that dark matter must exist. (EurekAlert!)
Unsung heroes save net from chaos Jul 23, 2009
It's like dark matter in the universe ... " The same social structures - and in particular kindness and trust - are also responsible for websites such as Wikipedia, he said. "It's like dark matter in the universe. (BBC News -- Science)
Thinkers meet to plot the future Jul 21, 2009
" "It's like dark matter in the universe. There's a lot of it, you don't see it but it has a huge impact on the physics of the place. (BBC News -- UK)
Australia keeps space dream alive with huge telescope investment Jul 20, 2009
The director of ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Professor Harvey Butcher, said the new telescope would detect and study planets around other suns, probe the "dark matter" which controls the expansion of the cosmos and unlock the secrets of how planets and stars were formed. "The Giant Magellan Telescope will open a new window to the universe and help answer questions that can't be answered with today's technology," he said. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
The Heidi Klum of calculations Jul 19, 2009
Indeed, the existence of so many things, from dark matter to black holes to wormholes all has to be inferred. The Big Bang, too, is only provisional and seems to be waiting for a more graceful model to replace it. (Boston Globe)
Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival Jul 17, 2009
Kwisp builds its instruments, which sometimes stand up like space-age robots, and creates unexpected, futuristic electro glitches that flow like musical currents, slowly expanding into dark matter, and then suddenly change into anything from kitschy guitar plucks to the theme song for a horror film. Experimental noise collaboration HansHeadGrselBoggle and Arachnid Arcade also play. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Gamma ray "mystery" not related to dark matter Jul 17, 2009
The distribution of certain gamma rays in the Milky Way, speculated by some to be evidence of dark matter, can instead be explained by the way antimatter positrons move through the Galaxy ... The distribution of certain gamma rays in the Milky Way, speculated by some to be evidence of dark matter, can instead be explained by the way antimatter positrons move through the Galaxy ... This lead some scientists to believe that dark matter was the culprit. (Astronomy Now Online)
Dark Matter Helped Early Galaxies Survive "Massacre" Jul 14, 2009
Survival depended on having large clouds of the mysterious substance known as dark matter, a new supercomputer model suggests ... Within dark matter clouds, normal matter was in the process of coalescing into young ... Larger dark matter clouds would have attracted more normal, or visible, matter, which means that larger galaxies would have had enough material to survive even after being blasted by radiation from their neighbors. (National Geographic)
Patterns in Milky Way perplex astronomers Jul 14, 2009
Gamma ray measurements aren't mysterious dark matter as many thought ... Patterns of a type of high-energy radiation called gamma rays throughout the Milky Way aren't the signature of mysterious dark matter as had previously been suggested, a new study shows ... "The observed distribution of gamma rays is in fact quite consistent with the standard picture.Positron annihilationPositrons are subatomic particles that are the of everyday electrons, and our galaxy and others are filled with... (MSNBC -- Technology)
The first stars came in pairs Jul 11, 2009
The trio ran five representations depicting the growth of the first stars (termed Population III stars), which incorporated data on the distribution of both ordinary matter and dark matter in the Universe shortly after the big bang, based on observations of the cosmic microwave background radiation. Each simulation covered a virtual space of 650 quadrillion (650,000,000,000,000,000) cubic kilometres and ran for three weeks on 64 processors. (Astronomy Now Online)
Simulations Illuminate Universe's First Twin Stars Jul 10, 2009
Into this virtual universe they sprinkled primordial gas and dark matter as it existed soon after the Big Bang, data they obtained from observations of the cosmic microwave background ... As the researchers watched their simulated universe evolve, waves of gas and dark matter swirled through the hot, dense universe ... And, in one out of the researchers' five simulations, a single cloud of dust and dark matter formed into "twin" stars: one with a mass equivalent to about 10 suns, and one with a... (Science Daily)
Antimatter Positrons In Milky Way Galaxy Jul 9, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 8, 2009) A team of astrophysicists has solved a mystery that led some scientists to speculate that the distribution of certain gamma rays in our Milky Way galaxy was evidence of a form of undetectable dark matter believed to make up much of the mass of the universe ... Thus, the scientists said, the observed distribution of gamma rays is not evidence for dark matter ... To explain the source of this mystery, some astronomers had hypothesized the existence of various forms of... (Science Daily)
ASPERA-2: Toward a sustainable structure for European astroparticle physics Jul 8, 2009
This took the shape of a Roadmap published in September 2008, supporting the realisation of the "Magnificent Seven", the seven large infrastructures expected for the future to answer to some of the most exciting questions about the universe such as: What is dark matter. Where do cosmic rays come from. (EurekAlert! -- Business News)
Crews working on mine conversion Jul 6, 2009
Later this year scientists with the Large Underground Xenon project will begin to install their experiment in an old shop building on the site, making final preparations before disassembling the dark matter detector to place it on the 4,850-foot level. The South Dakota Science and Technology Authority is reopening Homestake to the 4,850-foot level. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
National Mall Showing Its Age Jul 5, 2009
an atom has mass and doesn't tend to move at the speed of light during average and common local contextual circumstances, but break the atom down into some of it's smallest pieces and it converts to things like photons and such, and their relative lack of mass propels them automatically to the speed of light, at which point they cease acceleration, as object move more quickly: they gain mass, they develop or collect and and assemble for themselves travel companions, maybe dark matter particles... (CBS News)
All S&T News Blogs Jul 5, 2009
Gebhardt, using a powerful supercomputer called Lonestar, took a larger view of galaxies with black holes and their interaction with dark matter 'halos' at their edges. He is suspicious that previous models used to measure black hole masses were wrong, because they failed to include information that would result in a larger mass of stars in the galaxy, which would influence the perceived masses of the stars orbiting the central black holes. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Space Science Jul 5, 2009
Dark Matter News Stories, Current Dark Matter News Events, Discoveries and Articles. Manually add to your RSS reader. (BrightSurf.com)
Most early galaxies baked away Jul 2, 2009
Only galaxies like our Milky Way, which were embedded in "dark matter" clumps, survived the blast furnace conditions triggered by the first stars. Dark matter, thought to be composed of exotic physics particles birthed in the Big Bang, significantly outweighs normal matter, the stuff of stars, planets and people, in the universe ... "The simulations show that hundreds of thousands of small dark matter clumps should be orbiting the Milky Way, but they didnt form galaxies," Frenk says. (USA Today -- Tech)
Largest ever survey of very distant galaxy clusters completed Jul 1, 2009
Clusters of galaxies are rare regions of the universe consisting of hundreds of galaxies containing trillions of stars, plus hot gas and mysterious dark matter. Most of the mass in clusters is actually in the form of invisible dark matter which astronomers are convinced exists because of its influence on the orbits of the visible galaxies. (EurekAlert!)
Intense Heat Killed 'Unborn' Galaxies Jul 1, 2009
Our Milky Way galaxy only survived because it was already immersed in a large clump of dark matter which trapped gases inside it, scientists led by Durham University's Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) found ... Tiny galaxies, inside small clumps of dark matter, were blasted away by the heat which reached approximate temperatures of between 20,000 and 100,000 degrees centigrade, the scientists, including experts at Japan's University of Tsukuba, said ... Dark matter is thought to make... (Science Daily)
Smart switching could solve communication tangle Jun 27, 2009
This week, researchers found hints of misty ice caverns on a Saturn moon and dedicated a dark matter lab in the deepest mine in the US. IN BRIEF: 17:27 26 June 2009 15 comments. (Yahoo News -- Instant Messaging)
Mars May Hide Secret Water Table Jun 27, 2009
This week, researchers found hints of misty ice caverns on a Saturn moon and dedicated a dark matter lab in the deepest mine in the US ... This week, researchers found hints of misty ice caverns on a Saturn moon and dedicated a dark matter lab in the deepest mine in the US. (Newsmax)
Science plunges to a depth of 8,000ft Jun 25, 2009
SIOUX FALLS (SOUTH DAKOTA): Far below the Black Hills of South Dakota, crews are building the worlds deepest underground science lab at a depth equivalent to more than six Empire State buildings a place uniquely suited to scientists quest for mysterious particles known as dark matter ... The site is ideal for experiments because its location is largely shielded from cosmic rays that could interfere with efforts to prove the existence of dark matter, which is thought to make up nearly a... (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Work to start on the deepest underground lab Jun 23, 2009
At 4,850 foot below surface, site is ideal for experiments on dark matter ... SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - Far below the Black Hills of South Dakota, crews are building the world's deepest underground science lab at a depth equivalent to more than six Empire State buildings a place uniquely suited to scientists' quest for mysterious particles known as dark matter ... The site is ideal for experiments because its location is largely shielded from cosmic rays that could interfere with efforts to prove... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Officials formally dedicate Sanford Lab in Lead Jun 23, 2009
The first experiment to be installed will be the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter detector. That project will be conducted by a collaboration of universities led by Brown and Case Western Reserve universities. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
LOOKING UP: Watch "as the worlds turn" Jun 16, 2009
Making up the difference is what for now, is referred to as dark matter, a mysterious component of the Universe keeping theorists busy. Last quarter Moon is on June 15. (Medfield Press, MA)
