Access

News Feature

Nature 448, 240-245 (19 July 2007) | doi:10.1038/448240a; Published online 18 July 2007

Open Innovation Challenges

Unseen Universe: Welcome to the dark side

Jenny Hogan1

  1. Jenny Hogan is a reporter for Nature in London.

Top

Physicists say that 96% of the Universe is unseen, and appeal to the ideas of 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' to make up the difference. In the first of two articles, Jenny Hogan reports that attempts to identify the mysterious dark matter are on the verge of success. In the second, Geoff Brumfiel asks why dark energy, hailed as a breakthrough when discovered a decade ago, is proving more frustrating than ever to the scientists who study it.

We're underneath 1,400 metres of Italian mountain, walking through cavernous halls that lead from a 10-kilometre-long road tunnel. The scientists working within the Gran Sasso National Laboratory near L'Aquila seem ant-like in scale against the backdrop of vast metal spheres, towers and scaffolding that house their underground experiments.

MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS

These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.

NEWS AND VIEWS

Astrophysics A message from the dark side

Nature News and Views (20 Nov 2008)

Dark matter comes in from the cold

Nature News and Views (14 Jan 1993)

See all 7 matches for News And Views