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Dark Matter Exists
olclops writes "It's a big day for astrophysics. After much speculation, scientists now have conclusive proof of dark matter. This result doesn't rule out alternate gravity theories like MOND, but it does mean those theories will have to account for exotic forms of dark matter."
Indeed, there is no such thing as "proof" in science. Merely observations that support a current theory. I guess "we observed phenomena consistent with a theory that claims dark matter's existence" even less headline-worthy.
E pluribus unum
From the title - "This result doesn't rule out alternate gravity theories like MOND". Actually, this directly rules out MOND. That's a big part of the point of the experiment.The idea is that the mass in these clusters doesn't come from the obvious sources of visible matter (the gas), as it would in a MOND or normal gravity scenario, but rather from the invisible (i.e., dark) matter.
Remember Vulcan, the planet with an orbit inside of Mercury? It was PROVEN to exist in the late 1800s. The calculations showed that Mercury's orbit required a smaller planet to make Mercury's orbit precess as it did. People even went looking for it with the finest telescopes of the day. And they saw it.
Then some smart aleck who worked in a patent office came along and showed that space is warped and that Mercury's orbit fits perfectly. Vulcan disappeared, never to be seen again.
Vulcan had more data in favor of its existence back then than dark matter does now. Pardon me, but I'm as skeptical as parent.
observed phenomena consistent with a theory that claims dark matter's existence
Or "evidence," for short.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Did anyone else notice the amazing quality of TFA? I actually understand more about dark matter from that article than from anything else I have read on the subject to date. This makes me less grumpy about all the money I felt was "wasted" on telescopes vs. planetary exploration.
Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur.
You can prove things in math. Math isn't science. Math is a special construct where you make a few assumptions and then spend eternity figuring out what the consequences of those assumptions are. Thus, when you prove something in math you're really saying that X is always true assuming your axioms.
In science you don't get to make up the axioms. The universe does and we get to try to figure out what they are.