EPISODE · May 18, 2022 · 28 MIN

How galaxies could exist without dark matter

from Nature Podcast

00:47 The mystery of the missing dark matterDark matter makes up most of the matter in the Universe, and is thought to be needed for galaxies to form. But four years ago, astronomers made a perplexing, and controversial discovery: two galaxies seemingly devoid of dark matter. This week the team suggests that a cosmic collision may explain how these, and a string of other dark-matter-free galaxies, could have formed.Research article: van Dokkum et al.News and Views: Giant collision created galaxies devoid of dark matter08:39 Research HighlightsHow fossil fuel burning has caused levels of helium to rise, and a high-efficiency, hybrid solar-energy system.Research Highlight: Helium levels in the atmosphere are ballooningResearch Highlight: Flower power: ‘Sunflower’ system churns out useful energy10:49 Researchers experiences of the war in UkraineWe hear the stories of scientists whose lives have been affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including researchers who have become refugees, soldiers and activists in the face of a horrifying conflict.Nature Feature: How three Ukrainian scientists are surviving Russia’s brutal war20:46 Imaging the black hole at the centre of the Milky WayLast week, a team of researchers released an image of Sagittarius A*, the supermassive blackhole at the centre of our galaxy. We hear how they took the image and what it is revealing about these enormous objects.Nature News: Black hole at the centre of our Galaxy imaged for the first timeSubscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.