Editor's Summary
19 July 2007
Dark deeds
Dark matter has been around, or is it not around, for decades, since it was called into theoretical existence to explain the mysterious forces that hold galaxies together. Dark energy is newer, having been introduced as a concept in the 1990s to account for the forces pushing galaxies apart in an expanding Universe. Two articles this week tackle the dark side: Jenny Hogan reports on the attempts to catch a morsel of the mysterious dark matter that may be about to succeed. And Geoff Brumfiel asks why dark energy has proved so frustrating to the scientists who study it.
News Feature: Unseen Universe: Welcome to the dark side
Physicists say that 96% of the Universe is unseen, and appeal to the ideas of 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' to make up the difference. In the first of two articles, Jenny Hogan reports that attempts to identify the mysterious dark matter are on the verge of success. In the second, Geoff Brumfiel asks why dark energy, hailed as a breakthrough when discovered a decade ago, is proving more frustrating than ever to the scientists who study it.
doi:10.1038/448240a
News Feature: Unseen Universe: A constant problem
Why is dark energy, hailed as a breakthrough when discovered a decade ago, proving so frustrating to the scientists who study it?
doi:10.1038/448245a