What is Dark Matter?

Ask a room full of physicists what dark matter is, and you're likely to get as many answers as there are scientists. While physicists have learned much about the mysterious substance that permeates the universe, they're still flummoxed when it comes to the matter's makeup. At the 2016 World Science Festival program Shaking Up the Dark Universe, moderator John Hockenberry asked five of the leading experts to take their best shot at defining dark matter.

Original Program Date: June 2, 2016
MODERATOR: John Hockenberry
PARTICIPANTS: Katherine Freese, Justin Khoury, Stacy McGaugh, Neal Weiner, Lisa Randall

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[davealexander]

"Dark matter" and "Dark energy" are names scientists give to their lack of knowledge about the two observations. Actually, we know that something is amiss with our current theory of matter, including gravity, because we are unable to rationalize quantum theory and relativity theory.

[geoniko]

Dark matter is what makes traveling at the speed of light possible. Once they figure how to use it

[ScottLahteine]

Is there any chance that dark matter and dark energy could be aspects of spacetime geometry rather than fields/particles?

[harlesbalanta]

what about dark matter being basu Einstein condensation, was that probability scratch out? light behavior whit this state of matter is quite unique.

[taschke]

I watched the full version of this month's ago. Since then, I've come to the conclusion that the last couple of speakers were right. (It may be somewhat intuitive, but I chose to stay open and not make up my mind at first) If we only comprehend x % of our universe, x times 2 or greater is a significant enough amount to say that we don't know about our universe and better methods of observation are needed. First and foremost, we have to get away from looking at the universe with our eyes and learn to use our other senses or convert other methods into the sensory perception we currently have. Gravitational waves are a great step towards that, as we can now feel the universe instead of see it. Just keep in mind, we are like an infant, putting everything in its mouth vs. a master wine taster. Our methods become more refined with every observation.

[charlesbrightman]

The pulsating singularity (basically a pulsating photon, with it's EM and direction, direction being "gravity"), is the pure energy unit and along with other pulsating pure energy units and their net interactions, make up all things in existence in this universe, (Or so I currently believe).

The universe is expanding due to the net effect of these pulsating pure energy units acting upon one another, (Or so I currently believe).

[DoN_PaBLo_]

General Relativity is MASSively Flawed

[science]

what if the energy holding planets in orbit, galaxies in place was reverse gravity, so for every gravity you have a reverse gravity and reverse gravity only starts to work in large scale systems

[phudinh]

that absolutely is easy answer. to find down why let made easier questions not to adult but to young children then you can find some answer in same manner.

[AudioPervert]

dark energy dark time and dark matter are synthesizers of doepfer. analog.

[martin]

The expansion of space-time, doesn’t appear to include that occupied by Galaxies etc, so between the negative curvature of the gravity wells of Galaxies are positive space-time curvatures, which may have the effect of increasing the gravity of those gravity wells, just as differentials in atmospheric pressures do.

[brandonreed]

So dark matter is typical matter. All the other matter we see are the odd cases of matter.

[Jason-gtkx]

My hypothesis that Dark Matter is not a WIMP, but maybe is a deformation of space-time by which the curvature of space-time ALONE is the cause of the gravitational effect. Gravity is the consequence of the curvature of space-time. It may be possible that the structure of space-time itself could be warped without the presence of mass. Space-time has been shown to react like a fabric by warping, twisting, and propagating independent of mass. These properties have been proven with observations of gravitational lensing, frame dragging, and now gravitational waves. Fabrics can be stretched, pressured, and/or heated to the point of deformation. Such extreme conditions were all present during inflation, so it is plausible that space-time’s elastic nature could have hit its yield point and permanently deformed. Therefore, if gravity is the consequence of the warping of space-time, and fabrics can be permanently deformed, then a deformation could create a gravitational effect independent of mass. DM could be a microscopic black holes with no mass at the center, so they wouldn't lose their strength via Hawking Radiation.

Prediction: Spacetime's elastic property hits a yield point, so only that part of geodesic's "stretch marks" would remain after inflation stopped. These steep gravitational wells would not follow the inverse square law.
They would be steep tiny gravity wells.

[joekelly]

Lisa, s carpet burns are through a different kind of matter, real dark energy 😀

[dggrossman]

Dark matter is the mass in the hypervolume of the proton and neutron. If the normal 3D volume of a proton is 1.00 then its hypervolume is 4.71. (The part of the proton's volume in 4D space. Yes, space is 4D, too. Welcome to the 21st century.) The total 3D volume of a proton then is 1.00+4.71=5.71. They think dark matter is 85% of matter. It is actually 4.71 / 5.71 =  82.48%, which is the ratio of hypervolume to total volume. The proton and all other elementary particles are 4D objects, not 3D as has been believed for over 2000 years. See the  video, "The proton is a four dimensional object", for proof  that the proton is anyway. Why the mass in the hypervolume is expressed gravitationally only starting at thousands of light years distance is unknown physics. This is a new unexplained phenomena, and, very confusing as are all new phenomena before they are explained.

[eel]

Lisa has carpet burn's on her knee's.

[joekelly]

in a nutshell dark matter is a solid object / objects that pass through the galactic ( HUMAN ) body

[edmondcohen]

Time I.S. (In-formation System) as the 01 (intangible/Tangible) is Dark Matter/Energy, and us. We are all Time Elements. (Uni-verse).
Time creates Timing. Empowering Change and X Change, all within the realms of the Infinite Possibilities every femtosecond.

[gmebusiness]

Why is it dark matter, why not white matter? You being Matterist bruh?

[edmondcohen]

Not to insult the power of YOUR pseudo-scientific expression!!
(Philosophically speaking, that I.S....(In-Formation System)
Have you ever hear about the POWER of FREE PSEUDO-expression?
I am only a visitor on this planet. And you ??