Cosmology

Cosmology

The dark matter mystery deepens with the demise of a reported detection

Early results from an experiment designed to replicate one that hinted that dark matter is made up of WIMPs came up empty-handed.

Cosmology

Einstein’s theory of general relativity unveiled a dynamic and bizarre cosmos

Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity foretold space-bending beasts, cosmic shock waves and mysterious forces.

Space

Dark matter clumps in galaxy clusters bend light surprisingly well

Cosmologists have found one more way to be confused by dark matter.

Cosmology

Scientists can’t agree on how clumpy the universe is

A measurement of 21 million galaxies finds a level of clumpiness that disagrees with estimates based on the oldest light in the universe.

Cosmology

‘The End of Everything’ explores the ways the universe could perish

As Katie Mack explains in The End of Everything, the universe’s demise could be disastrously violent or deadly calm.

Cosmology

Despite a new measurement, the debate over the universe’s expansion rages on

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope finds the universe is expanding more slowly than supernova observations suggest.

Space

This is the most comprehensive X-ray map of the sky ever made

A new X-ray map of the entire sky, using data from the eROSITA telescope’s first full scan, looks deeper into space than any other of its kind.

Space

Half the universe’s ordinary matter was missing — and may have been found

Astronomers have used fast radio bursts as cosmic weigh stations to tease out where the universe’s “missing matter” resides.

Space

Red giant stars that eat planets might shine less brightly

Some stars may shine less brightly after ingesting a planet. That finding, if confirmed, could have implications for calculating cosmic distances.

Physics

How slime mold helped scientists map out the cosmic web

Tapping a similarity between a slime mold’s lacy web and the vast threads of matter that connect galaxies, astronomers visualized the cosmic web.

Physics

Physics Nobel awarded for discoveries about the universe’s evolution and exoplanets

Three scientists share the 2019 Nobel Prize in physics for revealing what makes up our cosmos and for finding the first planet orbiting a sunlike star.

Cosmology

A new book explores how the concept of the multiverse has evolved

Tom Siegfried, author of ‘The Number of the Heavens,’ discusses what the multiverse has meant to great thinkers throughout history.