EDIT: Let’s cool it with the downvotes, dudes. We’re not out to cut funding to your black hole detection chamber or revoke the degrees of chiropractors just because a couple of us don’t believe in it, okay? Chill out, participate with the prompt and continue with having a nice day. I’m sure almost everybody has something to add.

  • LanternEverywhere
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    211 months ago

    Great example, and this brings up a great point about this topic - there’s a difference between what’s a scientific pursuit vs. what is current established scientific understanding.

    Dark matter is a topic being studied to try to find evidence of it existing, but as of now there’s is zero physical evidence that it actually exists.

    • GigglyBobble
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      511 months ago

      Its observed gravitational effects is evidence. Otherwise nobody would have given it a name.

      • @doctorcrimson@lemmy.worldOP
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        -311 months ago

        Proof of gravity from an unknown source affecting an object isn’t indicative of that source’s characteristics, though.

        • LanternEverywhere
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          411 months ago

          We don’t even know if the force involved is gravity. In fact we don’t even know if a force is involved at all.

        • NoneOfUrBusiness
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          111 months ago

          I mean yeah that’s why it’s called dark matter. Because we know nothing about it except that it has gravity and doesn’t interact much (if at all) with electromagnetic waves.

          • @doctorcrimson@lemmy.worldOP
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            -211 months ago

            The problem is Dark Matter is a theory that proposes specifically currently unobserved matter exists to solve our math problem. That’s not something we can automatically assume, imo. It’s looking highly probable, but not certain. It’s not just a blanket term for impossible to understand forces, okay, it’s not a pseudonym for C’Thulu, it’s a very specific solution among many.

            • GigglyBobble
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              411 months ago

              Nobody “automatically assumes” anything. Dark matter is the best candidate of possible explanations because it explains observation and still fits the standard model. Even if they find the necessary particles eventually, nobody would call it certain though. Certainty is a unicorn.

              • @doctorcrimson@lemmy.worldOP
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                111 months ago

                People in this thread literally are calling it a certainty. I’ve basically said the exact same thing as you and gotten downvoted to heck for it.

                • GigglyBobble
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                  111 months ago

                  Well, not really. Your first reply to me got downvoted because you setup a strawman - arguing against something that wasn’t even the point.

                  Your second, the one you claimed said the same as mine, insinuated Dark Matter is just some mathy explanation among many. This doesn’t give it credit. It’s the current no 1 explanation with lots of evidence. Still didn’t get downvoted though.