Dark matter comes to light

20.07.23: IT'S OFFICIAL: dark matter does not exist.

The identity of the invisible material, thought to make up more than 90% of the mass of the universe, has been the longest-standing puzzle in science. Now the puzzle has been solved ­ and in the most unexpected way.

The principal reason for postulating the existence of dark matter was that stars within galaxies and galaxies within galaxy clusters are moving ridiculously fast. Like children on a speeded-up merry-go-round, they ought to be flung off and cast into space.

The favoured explanation for why they stay put has until now been that the speeding stars and galaxies are in the grip of the gravity of a huge