Buzz
The cosmos is filled with unsolved mysteries, and often, the explanations are even more outrageous than the events themselves. What might seem like random guesses are, in fact, supported by rigorous scientific research and evidence.
10. Early Dark Matter Was a Social Butterfly
Dark matter continues to baffle scientists due to its reluctance to interact with other particles and forces. A fresh hypothesis from a team of 18 researchers sheds light on this elusive substance’s shy behavior. According to their theory, dark matter wasn’t always so reclusive. During the universe's scorching plasma phase, dark matter interacted effortlessly with regular matter, fueled by the surrounding chaotic conditions. But as the cosmos cooled, dark matter became more withdrawn, losing its ability to affect electromagnetic forces.
Dark matter’s dual nature is a result of the behavior of quarks, the fundamental particles that combine to form essential hadrons like neutrons and protons. At lower temperatures, quarks group together into these larger structures, but under extreme heat, they may interact freely with other particles. Interestingly, the fact that regular and dark matter clumps are nearly the same size implies that some sort of balance between them was established early in the universe’s history.
9. Galactic Wormhole
Recent scientific theories suggest that wormholes may not be entirely out of reach, provided we can gather enough exotic matter. Unfortunately, we are currently lacking the necessary ingredients, and there’s a risk that such large amounts could potentially implode on us. Fortunately, there's another possibility to create a wormhole: according to a theory presented by researchers from India, Italy, and North America, vast amounts of mass, such as those found at the heart of Milky Way-like galaxies, could be the key.
We reside in a galaxy quite similar to the Milky Way, so the hypothesis suggests that our own galactic core, located just 25,000 light-years away, could house the right conditions for a wormhole. The region is packed with matter, including stars, heated gas clouds, a massive black hole named Sagittarius A*, and enormous amounts of dark matter. All of this mass concentrated in a relatively small area might be enough to warp space-time, creating a shortcut through the cosmos.
This concept emerges from blending the profound principles of general relativity with a detailed map of galactic dark matter. It suggests that countless galaxies could secretly serve as dark matter wormholes, forming an invisible ‘galactic transport network’ that links the universe in ways we’ve yet to fully understand.
8. Volcanic Asteroids
In 2008, over 600 meteorites, collectively known as the Almahata Sitta meteorites, broke off from an asteroid called 2008 TC3 and made their way to the Sudanese Nubian Desert. This event provides an unexpected glimpse into the early solar system: Only 6.5 million years after the first solid bodies formed, the regions around Earth may have been filled with molten, volcanic asteroids.
The Almahata Sitta meteorites are unique for containing a mix of minerals that had never been found together before, including an abundance of silica-rich urelites. Astronomers believe that these minerals could only have been created through rapid crystallization following an intense volcanic eruption, ruling out the possibility that these rare rocks formed due to the explosive forces of meteor impacts.
As a result, astronomers propose that the early solar system hosted at least one volcanically active meteorite. How does an asteroid become volcanic? Billions of years ago, during the chaotic early stages of the solar system, rocky bodies were constantly colliding in a turbulent soup. This runaway collision effect, combined with residual energy from these catastrophic impacts, turned asteroid 2008 TC3—and likely many others—into searing molten worlds.
7. Dark Matter Hairs
Although dark matter has never been directly observed, simulations and studies have uncovered some of its peculiar characteristics. This elusive substance is not only indifferent to electromagnetic forces but can also be surprisingly sluggish, with some parts barely moving from their gravitational resting places. Even more bizarre, Gary Prezeau from NASA JPL proposes that dark matter particles may form into cosmic conga lines.
These massive, orderly streams of dark matter particles—assuming dark matter is indeed made of particles—often surpass the size of our solar system, twisting together like a swirl of vanilla-chocolate frozen yogurt from Costco. When these filaments encounter a solid object (like Earth), they anchor themselves around it like countless hairs. If visible, these dark matter strands would give Earth the appearance of a planetary porcupine.
Similar to the hair on our heads, each filament begins as a thick, dense root and tapers off into a delicate, spiky end. If confirmed, these roots would provide the easiest way to study dark matter. They are believed to originate just 600,000 miles from Earth’s surface, less than three times the distance to the Moon, which is about 230,000 miles away.
6. A Hungry Sun
While studying alien solar systems, astronomers have come across many planets in incredibly tight orbits around their stars, following paths far closer than Mercury’s orbit around the Sun. Yet, within our own solar system, this innermost cosmic lane seems oddly empty. Why is that?
A recent study by Rebecca Martin and Mario Livio from UNLV suggests that, long ago, a planetary body once occupied this now vacant space. It formed by absorbing the stray debris from the inner solar system, only to tragically be devoured by the Sun, much like the Greek Titan Kronos devoured his children.
Based on their observations of extrasolar systems and the puzzling emptiness between our Sun and Mercury, it’s possible that Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars once had a fifth rocky sibling. The researchers propose that a thick disc of cosmic material, located between the Sun and Mercury, lingered long enough to cool and form a dense super-Earth. Unfortunately, this extra planet didn’t survive and was quickly consumed by the Sun’s voracious gravity and hunger.
5. Backward Time
Time seems straightforward, yet it’s a never-ending source of complexity and confusion. When did time actually begin? Why does it seem to only flow forward? If time’s direction is set, then why do the fundamental laws of physics still work when physicists introduce a bizarre, backward-moving version of time? One theory attempts to answer at least part of the riddle: Our universe is not the only one.
Time moves forward in our universe because of entropy. Since the universe's early state was perfectly ordered into a singular point, things must eventually move toward chaos, giving time its direction. At least, that’s how it’s understood today. One theory proposes a sister universe, also born during the “moment” of the Big Bang, a strange realm governed by bizarro-time, which follows gravity instead of thermodynamics. In this parallel world, the arrow of time is reversed to balance out our forward-moving seconds, minutes, and hours.
In a small-scale experiment, involving 1,000 particles to simulate a slice of the universe, physicists discovered that gravity could seemingly influence the organization of particles in either direction of time. Another theoretical physics study also found that particles can undergo reverse entropy, effectively “cleaning themselves up.” Ultimately, these findings lead researchers to propose a primordial split that created two types of “time,” each flowing in the opposite direction.
4. Earth’s Orbital Tilt
Earth is strange. It’s the only planet we know to be inhabited by ungrateful lifeforms, and its orbit is unexpectedly tilted in relation to the Sun’s equator. But orbital oddities aren’t just a local phenomenon; they’ve been observed in other places too. Throughout the universe, astronomers have found many gas giants close to their stars, yet they orbit them in bizarrely tilted paths.
This shouldn’t be the case, especially if these planets formed from debris disks around their stars, as planets are known to do, and were then pulled in by gravity. Caltech astronomer Konstantin Batygin suggests that these orbital shifts are the result of the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) gravitational tugs from companion stars. Since most star systems are binary, this could explain the occurrence of these erratic orbits.
Interestingly, this provides a hint that the Sun may have once had a secondary star. Although this companion star has long since moved on—hopefully to greener pastures—it left behind a lasting reminder: Earth’s eccentric orbit.
3. Dark Matter Asteroids
Asteroid impacts and the resulting extinctions have shaped our evolutionary journey, leaving behind the remains of larger, fiercer creatures that would have never allowed humans to rise to power. But why do these impacts seem to occur with such regularity? Could aliens be targeting us with a cosmic slingshot?
The answer, according to Harvard astrophysicists Lisa Randall and Matthew Reece, is just as otherworldly: A thick clump of dark matter, possibly up to 35 light-years in size, redirects cosmic missiles toward Earth. Positioned along the central plane of our Milky Way, this dark matter exerts a gravitational pull on asteroids and comets, sending them on a collision course with our vulnerable planet. Based on past impacts, which follow a cycle of roughly 30 million years, the astrophysicists argue that their hypothesis is at least three times more likely than pure coincidence.
Some scientists are even bolder in their speculation about dark matter's influence on earthly events. Dayong Cao, the head of the Avoid Earth Extinction Association, argues that space rocks passing through dark matter’s dense regions are infused with its gravitational might and destructive capabilities.
2. Mega Rings
A young gas giant orbiting the star J1407, located just 434 light-years away from Earth, has perplexed astronomers with its strange light curve. Given the planet's massive size—bigger than Jupiter—it should block a significant portion of its parent star’s light. But instead, there are periodic eclipses that defy expectations.
The reason? A colossal ring system around the planet J1407b, 200 times the size of Saturn’s rings. This massive structure is the only explanation for the nature of the eclipses, which can last for weeks yet allow the occasional photon to slip through—something impossible for a solid body causing an eclipse. These intermittent glimpses make perfect sense considering the granular nature of the rings.
Each enormous ring spans tens of millions of miles in diameter, and J1407b is surrounded by at least 30 of these icy, rocky rings. Intriguingly, astronomers have observed gaps in these rings, likely created by exomoons clearing debris as they orbit. Sadly, the rings are merely temporary phenomena, as they will eventually condense into moons.
This opens up the thrilling possibility that planetary rings might be more common around young planets than previously thought. Imagine how much more spectacular our gas giants may have been in their youthful days!
1. First Ever Stars
When the Big Bang unleashed the universe almost 14 billion years ago, it began with the elements hydrogen, helium, and lithium. The heavier elements—those responsible for creating everything from stars to humans—only came later when the first giant stars blasted them into existence in supernovae and hypernovae.
In their quest to find the universe’s earliest stars, astronomers look for objects that are lacking the heavier, more complex elements. One recent discovery was made by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in northern Chile. It captured the faint light of the galaxy CR7, a relic from 13 billion years ago, which is now considered the brightest early galaxy ever observed.
CR7 isn’t named after the famous footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, but for “COSMOS Redshift 7,” a term indicating how much the light has stretched during its long voyage from the distant past to the present. The red hue reveals its age, while “COSMOS” marks its location in the night sky. CR7 resides in the crowded region of the Sextans (Sextant) constellation.
This ancient galaxy is brimming with helium, yet curiously lacks any sign of heavier elements. This intriguing absence raises the thrilling possibility that astronomers may have spotted the very first generation of stars. These so-called Population III stars are the cosmic ancestors responsible for creating the heavier elements that eventually formed planets, more stars, and—eventually—life itself, including us slimy meat beings.
