Is Dark Matter Made of Particles?

↓ More info below ↓

Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord!

By the time you've read this, a billion billion dark matter particles may have streamed through your body like ghosts. The particle or particles of the dark sector make up the vast majority of the mass of the universe - so to them, we're the ghostly ones. Today we're going to try to make contact with dark matter particles and enter into the Dark Universe.

#space #darkmatter #astrophysics

Check out the Space Time Merch Store

Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements!

Hosted by Matt O'Dowd
Written by Matt Caplan & Matt O'Dowd
Graphics by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria
Directed by Andrew Kornhaber
Assistant Producer: Setare Gholipour
Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber

Special Thanks to Our Patreon Supporters

Big Bang Supporters
Sandy Wu
Matthew Miller
Clinton Robinson
Sean Maddox
Brodie Rao
Scott Gray
Ahmad Jodeh
Radu Negulescu
Alexander Tamas
Morgan Hough
Juan Benet
Fabrice Eap
Mark Rosenthal
David Nicklas

Quasar Supporters
Hank S
Christina Oegren
Mark Heising
Vinnie Falco

Hypernova Supporters
william bryan
Mike Swayze
muOn Marketing
Russell Pope
Ben Delo
L. Wayne Ausbrooks
Nicholas Newlin
Mark Matthew Bosko
Jason Finn
Антон Кочков
Alec S-L
Julian Tyacke
John R. Slavik
Mathew
Danton Spivey
Donal Botkin
John Pollock
Edmund Fokschaner
Joseph Salomone
Matthew O'Connor
chuck zegar
Jordan Young
m0nk
John Hofmann
Timothy McCulloch

Gamma Ray Burst Supporters
Almog Cohen
Alex Edwards
Nick
Ádám Kettinger
Sylvain Leduc
Matthew Harlow
Robert C Schupp
Anthony Kahng
MD3
Endre Pech
Daniel Jennings
Cameron Sampson
Pratik Mukherjee
Geoffrey Clarion
Astronauticist
Nate
Darren Duncan
Lily kawaii
Russ Creech
Jeremy Reed
Magistrala Хемус [Kybrit]
Derek Davis
Eric Webster
Steven Sartore
DrJYou
David Johnston
J. King
Michael Barton
Christopher Barron
James Ramsey
Justin Jermyn
Mr T
Andrew Mann
Jeremiah Johnson
fieldsa eleanory
Peter Mertz
Kevin O'Connell
Richard Deighton
Isaac Suttell
Devon Rosenthal
Oliver Flanagan
Dawn M Fink
Bleys Goodson
Darryl J Lyle
Robert Walter
Bruce B
Ismael Montecel
Andrew Richmond
Simon Oliphant
Mirik Gogri
David Hughes
Christopher Hartnett
Mark Daniel Cohen
Brandon Lattin
Yannick Weyns
Nickolas Andrew Freeman
Brian Blanchard
Shane Calimlim
Tybie Fitzhugh
Robert Ilardi
Astaurus
Eric Kiebler
Craig Stonaha
Martin Skans
Michael Conroy
Graydon Goss
Frederic Simon
Greg Smith
Tonyface
John Robinson
A G
Kevin Lee
Adrian Hatch
Yurii Konovaliuk
John Funai
Cass Costello
Geoffrey Short
Bradley Jenkins
Kyle Hofer
Tim Stephani
Luaan
AlecZero
Cody
Malte Ubl
King Zeckendorff
Nick Virtue
Scott Gossett
Martin J Lollar
Dan Warren
Patrick Sutton
John Griffith
Daniel Lyons
DFaulk
Kevin Warne
Andreas Nautsch
Brandon labonte

[pedrovpa]

I imagine a bunch of dark scientists wondering why there is a 5% gap between their universe mass content and the mass necessary to produce the gravity they experience.

[olandyurai]

Giving a shout out to the animation team with Leonardo, Yago, Pedro, and Adriano! This show is always aesthetically so pleasing!

[KomradZX]

I never had the luxury of growing up and listening to the late great Carl Sagan seeing as I was born in 1989, just a few years before he passed away. But channels like PBS space time and Matt really are my generations Carl Sagan, just in a more bite sized form 🥰.

The work you all do is amazing and makes my brain think (and regularly crash with classic steam coming out my ears) every single time I watch you! Keep up your amazing hard work!!!

[oberonpanopticon]

Imagine if we detected dark matter particles and briefly thought our troubles were solved, but then we realized that the new particle only accounted for half of the observed dark matter

[dudepool]

PBS Spacetime reminds me of my grandmother. Seriously. One of my favorite phrases she taught me was: "I'm smart enough to know, I'm not that smart". Other science shows I watch (including other PBS channels, literally a lifelong viewer of the organization) do teach me a lot, but I have no difficulty understanding them. This channel has me struggling, yet I still learn. I absolutely adore that! Thanks to the entire team for keeping me on my intellectual toes!

[ThierryTiramisu]

11:00 a tragic love story, on the scale of the early Universe. A lone particle can't find its antiparticle for mutual annihilation before the universe pulls them apart forever!

[andershusmo]

Presentation approaches end
Matt's talking
Me: "... of spacetime!"
Matt keeps talking.
Me: "... of spacetime!"
Matt keeps talking.
Me: "... of spacetime!"
Matt: "... of spacetime."
Me: "Yes!"

[ChuckMeIntoHell]

Every time he says 'LSP' I can't help but think "Oh my Glob!"

[WilliamDye-willdye]

Whoever came up with the "Press Start" tweaked intro at 0:17 deserves praise and if possible a bonus. It makes the intros less predictable, and ties in beautifully to the content. Well done.

[thechickenduck]

After a mundane day staring at corporate emails in Outlook, finally some intelligent content to consume. Thank you.

[thefirstsin]

I salute the researchers devoting their life try and find out what that dark matter is because all that data will be used in the future.

[henrahmagix]

8:43 hearing “neutralino” in an Australian accent is the best way to hear it for the first time 😅🥰

[iSometimesWriteMusic]

Guys, massive props to everyone involved in making this. This video in particular is using metaphors, animation, summary and segues in really nice ways. I'm just a regular dude and you are making theoretical physics so accessible (yet challenging) for a somewhat mentally above average citizen in a rich country. It's really beyond my level... But... Kind of not, explained like this.

[galacticbob]

"Every boson has its fermion, " ah yes, one of my favorite jams by 80s physics rock legend Poison:

Every boson has its fermion, just like
Every light has its proton, just like
Every baryon needs to have gluons -
Every boson has its fermion. 🎶

Truly a love story that resonates throughout spacetime.

[stevenoviedo]

I remember when I was younger and I started reading on the standard model and astrophysics. How much dark matter and dark energy peaked my interest because of how little we actually know about but how fundamental it is for the universe to be. I wanted to know more about it.
Here bumping into this video thanks to the algorithm I just have to say Thank You for putting this content out there. This is the content young me would have dream to have seen in order to satisfy my curiosity.

[richteffekt]

"Will us fishes will ever learn why the ocean is heavier than all us fishes, crustaceans and even sea mammals combined?" "Could it have to do with the wet matter?" "Oh, don't be ridiculous!"

[chrismurphy]

Seeing Mordin Solus as a dark matter theorist confirms that I'm the right demographic for this channel.

[captainpuffinpuffinson]

"Had to be me, someone else might have gotten it wrong"
Right in the Solas feels...

[DuffWarren]

Well done PBS space-time! You are speaking to the next generation and getting them to pursue intellectual growth and development well done!

[hugefanboy]

That French would be the universe's lingua franca makes a lot of sense, considering its quantum weirdness.