New Gravity Theory Dispenses with Dark Matter

Darkness Matters writes "According to New Scientist, a theory of modified gravity, which has no need of dark matter, has just explained why the Pioneer 10 probe is 400,000 miles off its expected course as it leaves the solar system. It sounds pretty convincing, although in dispensing with dark matter, they've had to utilize the theoretical particle, called a graviton, which appears from the vacuum of space wherever stars are densely packed, making gravity stronger."

Comments

Nearly right...

[FalconZero]

They've had to utilize the theoretical particle, called a graviton, which appears from the vacuum of space wherever stars are densely packed, making gravity stronger.

Nearly right : The theory posits that gravitons are created by all (massive) matter, it's just that near densely packed stars the effect is more significant.

a theory of modified gravity, which has no need of dark matter......although in dispensing with dark matter

Plain wrong : From TFA "critics point out that MOND cannot explain the observed masses of clusters of galaxies without invoking dark matter"

A more interesting article in NewScientist recently was their coverage of Heim Theory (a potential GUT, which includes Gravity Theory), Previously discusssed on Slashdot (With reference to another news source, not NewScientist).

Re:Here we go again

[Cyno]

Dark matter is a stupid idea. Its just like ID, the "theory" that God created everything and ghosts.

I don't mind the idea that there's some particles we haven't detected yet. But the idea that there's some matter out there that isn't visible because its cloaked by some weird sci-fi nebula field thingy that prevents us from detecting it, but its there, and its really big and its coming right for us. Is stupid.

I mean what is more likely: that we're dumb and have yet to piece together the fundamental forces of nature to fully explain motion in our universe, or we've already solved the math and just need a few large chucks of rock to explain our discrepencies?

We're not that smart. We thought there were WMDs in Iraq. We thought global warming was a fad. We thought Bush was going to take us to Mars. We thought the Earth was the flat center of the universe a few hundred years ago. And those traditional values still drive our horribly ignorant species into the future. We'll be lucky if we can solve the equations to explain the fundamental forces of our universe before our own ignorance and stupidity kills us. Or specifically, I fear we will not act to slow down to prevent global warming until it is too late and drives us back into a feudal system where religion and our own humanity corrupt our search for the truth.. we may never escape the fate of our planet or our star, not if we don't believe or understand it.