'85% dark? Think again': The other half of the Universe has finally been found
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
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Vanishing Matter
For decades, half the universe’s normal matter was missing—now, we finally know where it’s been hiding.
Representative pic/NASA
Cosmic Web
This gas weaves between galaxies in vast filaments, too diffuse to see—until now.
Credit: NASA
Hidden Hydrogen
Ionized hydrogen, invisible to optical telescopes, makes up the bulk of this elusive mass.
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WHIM Found
This "warm-hot intergalactic medium" holds the key to understanding galaxy formation and cosmic flow.
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CMB Clue
Using cosmic microwave background radiation as a spotlight, scientists tracked down the gas.
AGN Impact
Galactic black holes might be blowing this gas away—not once, but again and again through their lifetime.
Simulation Next
Researchers say further analysis will rely on simulations to confirm how this gas behaves in space.
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Dark Matter Shift
This discovery may force us to rethink how baryonic matter moves compared to dark matter.
Representative pic/NASA
Galactic Evolution
With this missing link, cosmologists can finally refine how galaxies and stars are born and evolve.
Representative pic/NASA