Science Weekly ‘One of the biggest discoveries in science’: have scientists found dark matter?
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Sep 10, 2026 
Ian Sample, The Guardian’s science editor, and Samuel Erikson, a University of Bristol particle-physics researcher, explore a tantalising dark matter signal. They discuss the underground xenon detector behind the result, why a single event falls short of discovery, and how future data could confirm or erase it. If verified, the finding could transform physics and reveal the universe’s hidden matter.
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How Gravity Revealed Invisible Matter
- Dark matter is inferred from gravity because it emits, absorbs, and reflects no electromagnetic radiation.
- Zwicky found missing mass in galaxy clusters, while Vera Rubin found edge stars moving too fast without invisible matter.
Dark Matter May Be Most Of The Universe
- Dark matter may constitute roughly 85% of the universe’s matter, leaving ordinary matter as a small minority.
- Identifying it would explain the dominant material shaping galaxies and the universe’s cosmic web.
Why Dark Matter Detection Is So Difficult
- Direct detection is difficult because dark matter barely interacts with ordinary matter and passes through people.
- Detectors must distinguish extraordinarily rare collisions from radioactive decays, solar-wind particles, and other background noise.