Dark Matter May Behave Like Ordinary Matter Under Gravity, New Study Finds

Now, a new investigation shows that dark matter — the elusive and invisible material that makes up most of all material in the universe — might behave much like ordinary matter when responding to gravity's pull. For decades, scientists have been debating whether dark matter is likely to follow the same physical laws that govern stars, planets, and all the other visible matter in the cosmos. Taking a cue from our colossal cosmos, where galaxies seem to be moving inside massive cosmic structures, into which dark matter seems to sink into gravitational wells the same way that ordinary matter does, a group led by the University of Geneva tested whether this holds true on smaller scales as well and found that it mostly does, closing in on that long-standing mystery.

Dark Matter Likely Follows Gravity, But Mystery Force Still Not Ruled Out

According to a report based on findings published in Nature Communications, researchers studied the motion of galaxies to determine whether dark matter is affected solely by gravity or perhaps involves an unknown force. ” Camille Bonvin at the University of Geneva said that measurement theory and galaxy velocities, when related to gravitational well depth, can be used to detect whether such a ‘fifth force' even exists for dark matter. The research found no firm evidence for such a force exerting much influence on it.

Dark matter follows known physics like Euler's equation, but any additional force must be extremely weak—under roughly 7 percent of gravity's strength. Future LSST and DESI data may detect subtle forces as weak as 2 percent of gravity's strength, researchers suggest. Scientists say upcoming observations may finally reveal dark matter's true nature and uncover any hidden cosmic forces influencing the universe.