

96 | Lina Necib on What and Where the Dark Matter Is
May 11, 2020
Lina Necib, a leading astrophysicist at Caltech and soon-to-be MIT professor, dives deep into the mysteries of dark matter. She explains its elusive nature and why it makes up five times more of the universe than ordinary matter. The discussion covers potential candidates like WIMPs and axions and the challenges in detecting them. Necib highlights breakthroughs from the Gaia satellite that have revolutionized our understanding of stellar distribution in the Milky Way. Get ready for a cosmic journey illuminating the fundamental structure of our universe!
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Dark Matter Studies
- Astronomers study dark matter's location and interactions, not just its existence.
- Dark matter discrepancies suggest missing mass or altered gravity.
CMB and Dark Matter
- Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) data supports dark matter's existence.
- Modified gravity theories alone cannot fully explain CMB and other observations.
Beyond Dim Objects
- Dark matter is likely not just dim stars or planets.
- Experiments have ruled out MACHOs as the primary dark matter component.