Issue 3585 | Magazine cover date: 7 March 2026

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Editor's picks

Dark Matter Core Defies Explanation NASA ID: GSFC_20171208_Archive_e001774 NASA image release March 2, 2012 This composite image shows the distribution of dark matter, galaxies, and hot gas in the core of the merging galaxy cluster Abell 520, formed from a violent collision of massive galaxy clusters. The natural-color image of the galaxies was taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope in Hawaii. Superimposed on the image are "false-colored" maps showing the concentration of starlight, hot gas, and dark matter in the cluster. Starlight from galaxies, derived from observations by the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, is colored orange. The green-tinted regions show hot gas, as detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. The gas is evidence that a collision took place. The blue-colored areas pinpoint the location of most of the mass in the cluster, which is dominated by dark matter. Dark matter is an invisible substance that makes up most of the universe's mass. The dark-matter map was derived from the Hubble Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations, by detecting how light from distant objects is distorted by the cluster galaxies, an effect called gravitational lensing. The blend of blue and green in the center of the image reveals that a clump of dark matter resides near most of the hot gas, where very few galaxies are found. This finding confirms previous observations of a dark-matter core in the cluster. The result could present a challenge to basic theories of dark matter, which predict that galaxies should be anchored to dark matter, even during the shock of a collision. Abell 520 resides 2.4 billion light-years away. To read more go to: www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/science/dark-matter-cor... Credit: NASA, ESA, CFHT, CXO, M.J. Jee (University of California, Davis), and A. Mahdavi (San Francisco State University)

Space

Why cosmology seems to be caught in a vibe shift

Comment

Society

The real reasons birth rates are declining worldwide

Features

Image from a MAYA collaboration numerical relativity simulation of a neutron star-black hole (NSBH) binary merger, showing the disruption of the neutron star. Credit: Deborah Ferguson (UT Austin), Bhavesh Khamesra (Georgia Tech), and Karan Jani (Vanderbilt University).

Space

A bizarre type of black hole could solve three cosmic mysteries in one

Features

Fractal conceptual illustration of supersymmetry or superstrings. Supersymmetry (SUSY) is a particle physics theory that proposes a type of spacetime symmetry relating two basic classes of elementary particles: bosons, which have an integer-valued 'spin', and fermions, which have a half-integer spin. If supersymmetry is a true symmetry of nature, it would explain many mysterious features of particle physics and would help solve paradoxes such as the cosmological constant problem. There is only indirect evidence for the existence of supersymmetry, primarily in the form of evidence for gauge coupling unification. Direct confirmation would entail production of superpartners at collider experiments, such as at the Large Hadron Collider.

Space

A crisis in cosmology may mean hidden dimensions really exist

Features

Space

The bombshell results that demand a new theory of the universe

Features

Space

Crisis in cosmology: If we鈥檝e got dark energy wrong, what could it be?

Features

Leaders

Space

Why cosmology seems to be caught in a vibe shift

Whether you call it a vibe shift or a paradigm shift, physicists must be ready to challenge their fundamental understanding of the universe without fear or nostalgia

Comment

快猫短视频

Humans

When we interbred with Neanderthals, they were usually the fathers

Genetic evidence hints that there was a strong bias for male Neanderthals and female humans to mate, rather than any other combination

News

Mind

We all harbour 9 secrets and they are eating us up inside

News

Life

Tiny predatory dinosaur weighed less than a chicken

News

Health

People who eat a lot of fibre spend more time in deep sleep

News

Space

SpaceX’s 1 million satellites could avoid environmental checks

News

Health

Frailty can be eased with an infusion of stem cells from young people

News

Health

Stem cell patch reverses brain damage in fetuses with spina bifida

News

Technology

Inside the company selling quantum entanglement

News

Life

Cannibalism may explain why some orcas stay in family groups

News

Technology

AIs can鈥檛 stop recommending nuclear strikes in war game simulations

News

Mind

Birdwatching may reshape the brain and build its buffer against ageing

News

Health

Landmark vitiligo cream targets immune cells that disrupt pigmentation

News

Environment

Spreading crushed rock on farms could absorb 1 billion tonnes of CO2

News

Environment

Ocean geoengineering trial finds no evidence of harm to marine life

News

Space

Saturn鈥檚 rings may have formed after a huge collision with Titan

News

Health

Rapamycin can add years to your life, or none at all 鈥� it鈥檚 a lottery

News

Physics

Loophole found that makes quantum cloning possible

News

Life

Everyone’s a queen: The ant species with no males or workers

News

Health

We must close the ‘shocking’ knowledge gap in women’s health

News

Analysis

Environment

Is geothermal energy on the cusp of a worldwide renaissance?

The UK's first geothermal plant in Cornwall is part of a wave of projects aiming to meet growing electricity demand, some of them enabled by technology from oil and gas fracturing

News

Technology

Banning children from VPNs and social media will erode adults’ privacy

News

Aperture

Life

Dive below the waves with these award-winning underwater photographs

From clownfish to a California newt, here are some of the images to make the cut in the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest 鈥� including the stunningly cute overall winner

Regulars

Features

Space

Crisis in cosmology: If we鈥檝e got dark energy wrong, what could it be?

This is a聽快猫短视频聽special package about shock聽results that have upended cosmology. What do they mean for our models of the universe, and what are the alternative explanations?

Features

Space

A crisis in cosmology may mean hidden dimensions really exist

Features

Space

The bombshell results that demand a new theory of the universe

Features

Space

A bizarre type of black hole could solve three cosmic mysteries in one

Features

Society

The real reasons birth rates are declining worldwide

Features

Culture

2TB3203 View of sign Liar, Liar Pants on Fire as part of Global Climate Strike in Vancouver

Mind

What to read this week: Poisonous People by Leanne ten Brinke

If up to 20 per cent of us really do score highly on traits related to psychopathy, we are going to need all the help offered by a compelling new book. Start by admitting your own dark traits, finds Sally Adee

Culture

Comment

快猫短视频 recommends real-world stealth game LANDER 23

Culture

Space

Adrian Tchaikovsky’s new Children of Time novel is brilliant

Culture

Mind

Why our brains tune things out and how to overcome it when you need to

We often stop noticing things we鈥檝e become too accustomed to, as a side effect of our brains protecting us from sensory overload. Columnist Helen Thomson shares the evidence-backed ways to learn how to notice again

Comment

Health

Comment

How to convey amounts of snow to Canadians: use polar bears

Feedback is pleased to discover another delightfully unconventional unit of measurement, which is used to convey amounts of snow on Ottawa's Rideau canal