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Dark matter: Study claims it was already discovered in 2014

geralt / Pixabay

The concept of dark matter remains a mystery, much like black holes and other cosmic phenomena. However, a recent study claims that dark matter may no longer be a new discovery as it was supposedly found back in 2014.

Dark matter is a concept that scientists continue to study as a way to understand what it is made of and where it comes from. This concept is often subject to debate amongst scientists as there are those who believe it does not exist while there are others who do believe that it exists. But there are a few scientists who believe that dark matter exists to the extent of saying that dark matter has always been present among us.

According to the University of York physicists Mikhail Bashkanov and Daniel Watts, the key to understanding dark matter lies in a particle called d*(2380) hexaquark, also known as d-star. Quarks are among the fundamental physical particles found in the Standard Model. Three quarks would form a proton or neutron which are the building blocks of atoms. Quarks arranged in different ways would result in exotic particles.

The d-star is a positively-charged, six-quark particle that is believed to exist for a fraction of a second back in 2014, in an experiment at the Julich Research Center in Germany. Because it was only seen for a fraction of a second, it slipped away undetected, or rather, scientists were not able to confirm this.

Dr. Bashkanov revealed that the particles may have joined together early on in the history of the universe to prevent decay. This is why individual d-stars cannot provide more insight to dark matter because do not survive long. He added that this situation also applies to neutrons when upon taking out a neutron from its nucleus, it starts to decay, but combined with other neutrons and protons within the nucleus, it stabilizes.

Meanwhile, US space agency NASA may have discovered something through its Reconnaissance Orbiter on the Red Planet. The agency’s High-Resolution Imaging Experiment was able to detect a cave on Mars. According to the agency, the orbiter managed to capture the Eastern part of the pit within the cave. It appeared to be made out of smooth sand and sloped down to the southeast. There were no visible tunnels from the images, but researchers believe that there may be unnoticeable tunnels within the walls of the cave.

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