Is Dark Matter the Missing Piece in Our Cosmic Puzzle?

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Dark matter is believed to exist due to its gravitational effects on visible matter, suggesting that the universe contains more mass than what is observable. Approximately 25% of the universe is thought to be dark matter, which is crucial for explaining the structure formation and resolving inconsistencies in the Big Bang theory. While dark matter's presence is evident in large-scale cosmic structures, its role in local gravitational interactions, such as within the Milky Way, remains debated, with some suggesting alternative theories like MOND. The universe's expansion is influenced by dark matter, as its absence would imply an eternal expansion without a potential reversal. Understanding dark matter is essential for addressing fundamental questions about the universe's fate and composition.
  • #51
This paper summing up dark matter evidence http://lanl.arxiv.org/PS_cache/astro-ph/pdf/0408/0408359.pdf while upbeat, does seem in my view to pose numerous serious difficulties with the theory at subcosmological scales and into terms of nucleosynthesis.
 
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