Uniting the Dark Side

A new theory poses the question: does dark matter and dark energy arise from a single source of dark fluid? Dark matter is hidden mass that holds the universe together, but is very difficult to capture or pinpoint. Dark energy is a term used to explain the unexplainable acceleration of the expansion of the universe. HongSheng Zhao of the University of St Andrews in Scotland is currently researching how these two opposing concepts can actually be one. He postulates, “Compare this dark fluid to Earth's atmosphere. Atmospheric pressure causes air to expand, but part of the air can collapse to form clouds. In the same way, the dark fluid might generally expand, but it also could collect around galaxies to help hold them together.”

Story via Space.com

Creative Commons Image: "M101 - The Pinwheel Galaxy" by Jared Smith on Flickr.