ScientistPankaj: Space & Physics: The search for dark matter just got a lot harder

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Space & Physics: The search for dark matter just got a lot harder

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Scientific American

September 5—This week, physicists are closer than ever to learning the true nature of dark matter. Elsewhere, we have stories on black holes and Moore's law, spotting boot prints on the moon, the shocking geophysics of gold nuggets, and more. Enjoy!

—Lee Billings, Senior Editor, Space and Physics

The Search for Dark Matter Just Got a Lot Harder

Dark matter may be lighter in mass than once hoped

Saima S. Iqbal, intern writer

Two black holes orbiting each other

Black Hole Detectors Fulfill Moore's Law

A famous prediction that microchips improve exponentially over time can be applicable in unrelated developments, such as the technology used to discover colliding black holes

Imre Bartos; Szabolcs Márka

Photograph of an astronaut bootprint on the lunar surface

Can a Telescope See Astronauts' Boot Prints on the Moon?

Even Earth's mightiest telescopes aren't up to the task of imaging Apollo lunar landing sites. A lack of resolution is the biggest reason why

Gold nugget in quartz

Earthquakes May Forge Large Gold Nuggets

Scientists propose that large chunks of gold could form from earthquakes' pressure

Kate Graham-Shaw

Cutbacks to U.S. Antarctic Science Risk Geopolitical Shifts at the South Pole

Reductions to American research at the South Pole could affect the politics of the southernmost continent

New geologic find of

Moon 'Spiders' Suggest Extensive Underground Lunar Caves

Newfound spiderlike features suggest lunar explorers should watch their step

Theo Nicitopoulos

Illustration of Earth on fire with a telescope pointing up at a flaming comet

Has the Last Great Space Observatory Already Launched?

Astronomy's future may be slipping away—one climate disaster at a time

Seven Rasmussen

FROM THE ARCHIVE

A close-up of the star-forming region M78, from a larger image captured by the Euclid telescope.

Stunning New Images Show Bright Future for Euclid, a Telescope Studying the 'Dark' Universe

The latest images from Euclid, a European mission studying dark matter and dark energy, are spectacularly beautiful—and scientifically promising