Einstein was right about invisible dark matter, massive new map of the universe suggests

Published

2 years ago

April 12, 2023

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Astronomers have made the most detailed map ever of mysterious dark matter using the universe’s very first light, and the “groundbreaking” image has possibly proved Einstein right yet again.

The new image, made using 14 billion-year-old light from the turbulent aftermath of the Big Bang, shows the enormous matter tendrils that formed not long after the universe exploded into being. It turns out the shapes of these tendrils are remarkably similar to those predicted using Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

The new result contradicts previous dark matter maps that suggested the cosmic web — the gigantic network of crisscrossing celestial superhighways paved with hydrogen gas and dark matter that spans the universe — is less clumpy than Einstein’s theory predicted. The astronomers presented their findings April 11 at the Future Science with CMB x LSS conference at Japan’s Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Related: 10 discoveries that prove Einstein was right about the universe — and 1 that proves him wrong

“We’ve made a new mass map using distortions of light left over from the Big Bang,” Mathew Madhavacheril (opens in new tab) , a cosmologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement (opens in new tab) . “Remarkably, it provides measurements that show that both the ‘lumpiness’ of the universe, and the rate at which it is growing after 14 billion years of evolution, are just what you’d expect from our standard model of cosmology based on Einstein’s theory of gravity.”

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert. (Image credit: Debra Kellner)

Scientists think that the universe that formed after the Big Bang teemed with matter as well as antimatter particles, which are identical to their matter counterparts but with opposite electrical charges.

Because matter and antimatter annihilate each other when they collide, if both were made in equal measure, all of the universe’s matter should have been annihilated. However, the rapidly expanding fabric of space-time, along with some helpful quantum fluctuations, kept pockets of the universe’s primordial plasma intact.

Then, according to the rules set out by Einstein’s theory of relativity, gravity compressed and heated these plasma pockets so that sound waves — called baryon acoustic oscillations — rippled outward from the clumps at half the speed of light. These gigantic waves pushed out matter that hadn’t already been sucked in on itself, creating the infant cosmic web: a series of thin films surrounding countless cosmic voids, like a nest of soap bubbles in a sink.

Once this matter cooled, it coalesced into the first stars, which pooled into matter-rich galaxies at the meeting points of the web’s tangled strands.

But in the past, astronomers studying the cosmic web found what seemed to be a massive discrepancy — the matter was significantly more evenly distributed and less lumpy than expected. It was an ominous sign that existing cosmological models were missing important physics.RELATED STORIES—Gargantuan chunk of ‘cosmic web’ discovered. It’s 50 million light-years long.

—How much of the universe is dark matter?

—Shredded ‘stellar streams’ could lead to the Milky Way’s missing dark matter

To dig into this apparent discrepancy, the researchers turned to the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in Chile, which scanned a quarter of the entire night sky from 2007 to 2022. Using its incredibly sensitive microwave detector, the telescope picked up light from the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB) — the universe’s very first light made just 380,000 years after the Big Bang — and used a process called gravitational lensing to map the concentrations of matter in the CMB.

Gravitational lensing is a phenomenon in which light moving through a region of space-time warped by powerful gravitational fields travels, in a curve — warping and twisting through a gigantic funhouse mirror until it emerges as a stretched-out arc called an Einstein ring. Gravitational lensing can detect dark matter, which makes up 85% of the universe’s matter but cannot be directly observed.

The new map contradicted previous ones made with visible light from galaxies, and showed that Einstein’s original theory was far more accurate than first thought.

What this means for our overall view of the cosmos’ early evolution is still too early to say, but the researchers suggest that additional maps made using the ACT’s data and fresh observations from the Simons Observatory — an under-construction Atacama Desert telescope that can scan the sky 10 times as fast as ACT — could finally resolve the perplexing cosmic mystery.

UK

Starmer survives rebellion as watered-down welfare cuts pass key vote

Published

3 hours ago

July 2, 2025

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Starmer survives rebellion as watered-down welfare cuts pass key vote

Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial welfare bill has passed its first hurdle in the Commons despite a sizeable rebellion from his MPs.

The prime minister’s watered-down Universal Credit and Personal Independent Payment Bill, aimed at saving £5.5bn, was backed by a majority of 75 on Tuesday evening.

A total of 49 Labour MPs voted against the bill – the largest rebellion since 47 MPs voted against Tony Blair’s Lone Parent benefit in 1997, according to Professor Phil Cowley from Queen Mary University.

Politics latest: Chancellor left in ‘impossible situation’ after PM survives welfare rebellion

After multiple concessions made due to threats of a Labour rebellion, many MPs questioned what they were voting for as the bill had been severely stripped down.

They ended up voting for only one part of the plan: a cut to Universal Credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the bill voted through “is not expected to deliver any savings over the next four years” because the savings from reducing the Universal Credit health element for new claimants will be roughly offset by the cost of increasing the UC standard allowance.

Just 90 minutes before voting started on Tuesday evening, disabilities minister Stephen Timms announced the last of a series of concessions made as dozens of Labour MPs spoke of their fears for disabled and sick people if the bill was made law.

How did your MP vote on Labour’s welfare bill?

In a major U-turn, he said changes in eligibility for the personal independence payment (PIP), the main disability payment to help pay for extra costs incurred, would not take place until a review he is carrying out into the benefit is published in autumn 2026.

An amendment brought by Labour MP Rachael Maskell, which aimed to prevent the bill progressing to the next stage, was defeated but 44 Labour MPs voted for it.

A Number 10 source told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby: “Change isn’t easy, we’ve always known that, we’re determined to deliver on the mandate the country gave us, to make Britain work for hardworking people.

“We accept the will of the house, and want to take colleagues with us, our destination – a social security system that supports the most vulnerable, and enables people to thrive – remains.”

But the Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride called the vote “farcical” and said the government “ended up in this terrible situation” because they “rushed it”.

He warned the markets “will have noticed that when it comes to taking tougher decisions about controlling and spending, this government has been found wanting”.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “I wish we’d got to this point in a different way. And there are absolutely lessons to learn.

“But I think it’s really important we pass this bill at the second reading, it put some really important reforms to the welfare system – tackling work disincentives, making sure that people with severe conditions would no longer be assessed and alongside our investment in employment support this will help people get back to work, because that’s the brighter future for them.”

She made further concessions on Monday in the hope the rebels’ fears would be allayed, but many were concerned the PIP eligibility was going to be changed at the same time the review was published, meaning its findings would not be taken into account.

Her changes were:

• Current PIP claimants, and any up to November 2026, would have the same eligibility criteria as they do now, instead of the stricter measure proposed

• A consultation into PIP to be “co-produced” with disabled people and published in autumn 2026

• For existing and future Universal Credit (UC) claimants, the combined value of the standard UC allowance and the health top-up will rise “at least in line with inflation” every year for the rest of this parliament

• The UC health top-up, for people with limited ability to work due to a disability or long-term sickness, will get a £300m boost next year – doubling the current amount – then rising to £800m the year after and £1bn in 2028/29.

World

Women’s Euros: Extreme heat warnings in place as tournament kicks off

Published

4 hours ago

July 1, 2025

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Women's Euros: Extreme heat warnings in place as tournament kicks off

The Women’s Euros begin in Switzerland today – with extreme heat warnings in place.

Security measures have had to be relaxed by UEFA for the opening matches so fans can bring in water bottles.

Temperatures could be about 30C (86F) when the Swiss hosts open their campaign against Norway in Basel this evening.

Players have already seen the impact of heatwaves this summer at the men’s Club World Cup in the US.

It is raising new concerns in the global players’ union about whether the stars of the sport are being protected in hot and humid conditions.

FIFPRO has asked FIFA to allow cooling breaks every 15 minutes rather than just in the 30th minute of each half.

There’s also a request for half-time to be extended from 15 to 20 minutes to help lower the core temperature of players.

FIFPRO’s medical director, Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, said: “There are some very challenging weather conditions that we anticipated a couple of weeks ago already, that was already communicated to FIFA.

“And I think the past few weeks were confirmation of all worries that the heat conditions will play a negative role for the performance and the health of the players.”

Football has seemed focused on players and fans baking in the Middle East – but scorching summers in Europe and the US are becoming increasingly problematic for sport.

While climate change is a factor, the issue is not new and at the 1994 World Cup, players were steaming as temperatures rose in the US.

There is now more awareness of the need for mitigation measures among players and their international union.

FIFPRO feels football officials weren’t responsive when it asked for kick-off times to be moved from the fierce afternoon heat in the US for the first 32-team Club World Cup.

FIFA has to balance the needs of fans and broadcasters with welfare, with no desire to load all the matches in the same evening time slots.

Electric storms have also seen six games stopped, including a two-hour pause during a Chelsea game at the weekend.

This is the dress rehearsal for the World Cup next summer, which is mostly in the US.

The use of more indoor, air conditioned stadiums should help.

There is no prospect of moving the World Cup to winter, as Qatar had to do in 2022.

And looking further ahead to this time in 2030, there will be World Cup matches in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The temperatures this week have been hitting 40C (104F) in some host cities.

FIFA said in a statement to Sky News: “Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally.

“At the FCWC some significant and progressive measures are being taken to protect the players from the heat. For instance, cooling breaks were implemented in 31 out of 54 matches so far.

“Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively and FIFA stands ready to facilitate this dialogue, including through the Task Force on Player Welfare, and to receive constructive input from all stakeholders on how to further enhance heat management.

“In all of this, the protection of players must be at the centre.”