Scientists claim to provide first direct evidence of dark matter

Scientists claim to provide first direct evidence of dark matter
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A new study claims to provide the first direct evidence of dark matter, marking what researchers say could be a pivotal moment in the decades-long search for the elusive substance, The Guardian reported.

In findings published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, University of Tokyo astrophysicist Prof Tomonori Totani says gamma-ray data from NASA’s Fermi Space Telescope appear to match the shape of the Milky Way’s predicted dark-matter halo. The signal, he argues, fits models in which dark matter consists of heavy weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) that annihilate on collision and emit gamma rays.

Totani told The Guardian the pattern “closely matches” theoretical expectations and could represent a “crucial breakthrough” in understanding material thought to make up 27% of the universe.

However, scientists urge caution. Prof Justin Read of the University of Surrey noted that the absence of similar signals from dwarf galaxies argues against a dark-matter origin, while UCL’s Prof Kinwah Wu said the claim requires “extraordinary evidence” before it can be accepted.