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.

Business

Tesla looks to cheaper model as revenue suffers worst drop in over a decade

Published

6 mins ago

July 23, 2025

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Tesla looks to cheaper model as revenue suffers worst drop in over a decade

Tesla has started limited production on a cheaper model in a bid to boost sluggish demand after revealing its worst slump in quarterly sales for over a decade.

The electric carmaker, effectively run part-time by founder and CEO Elon Musk for much of this year after his now-defunct spell at the heart of Donald Trump’s government, reported a 12% drop in revenues over the second quarter of the year.

Its update showed a total of $22.5bn, despite aggressive discounting and low-cost financing put in place to help shield Tesla from many headwinds.

They include strong competition from cheaper electric vehicles and a backlash against Musk’s former political alignment with the president.

Sales and profits came in lower than analysts had predicted.

Tesla said it was looking to ramp up production of the more affordable model during the second half of this year.

It gave no further details but it is a nod to investor concerns that the appeal of Tesla’s range is restricted when compared to that of competitors.

The results were the first for shareholders to digest since the so-called bromance between Mr Musk and Donald Trump ended acrimoniously in June.

Tesla’s shares remain almost 18% down over the year to date – lagging a recovery among rivals – and were flat in extended trading.

The drag can mainly be explained by the 2025 sales slowdown, Tesla’s particular exposure to the president’s trade war and the often violent backlash against Musk’s former role in the Trump administration which enacted big cuts to federal government spending.

Globally, customers have been put off by interference by Musk in national elections, particularly in Germany, and stiff competition from cheaper alternatives to Tesla’s electric car ranges.

While his departure from Washington allowed the tech tycoon to focus more on his vast business ventures, his beef with the president over the cost of the Big Beautiful tax and spending Bill has left Tesla exposed to retaliation from the White House.

Recent analysis by Sky News showed the extent to which the company’s profitability is threatened through the potential loss of billions of dollars in government subsidies – a sanction threatened by the president.

The latest set of results showed a steady income from these so-called regulatory credits, amounting to $435m between April and June. That was down from the $458m reported for the same period last year.

Tesla had revealed earlier this month that production and deliveries covering the quarter were below expectations.

A total of 384,122 Teslas were delivered in the period, a 13.5% fall on the same period last year.

It marked the second consecutive quarterly sales decline and were not helped by the changeover to the refreshed Model Y.

One other thing investors were eagerly awaiting news on was the supervised self-driving Robotaxi trial – launched last month in Texas.

Videos have since suggested some evident driving mistakes.

Musk has previously said the service would soon reach the San Francisco Bay Area, depending on regulatory approvals, and no update was given on whether papers had yet been filed.

Bloomberg News reported earlier on Wednesday that the company was in talks about operating a Robotaxi service in Nevada.

Technology

IBM shares drop despite earnings beat

Published

53 mins ago

July 23, 2025

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IBM CEO Arvind Krishna appears at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 16, 2024.

Stefan Wermuth | Bloomberg | Getty Images

IBM shares fell as much as 5% in extended trading on Wednesday after the tech conglomerate issued second-quarter results that topped Wall Street projections.

Here’s how the company did in comparison with LSEG consensus:

Earnings per share: $2.80 adjusted vs. $2.64 expected
Revenue: $16.98 billion vs. $16.59 billion

IBM’s revenue increased nearly 8% year over year in the quarter, according to a statement. Growth in the first quarter was below 1%. Net income, which includes costs related to acquisitions, rose to $2.19 billion, or $2.31 per share, from $1.83 billion, or $1.96 per share, a year ago.

Software revenue climbed about 10% to $7.39 billion, exceeding the $7.43 billion consensus among analysts surveyed by StreetAccount. Hybrid cloud revenue, including Red Hat, showed 16% growth. The software unit’s gross margin of 83.9% was barely narrower than StreetAccount’s 84.0% consensus.

Revenue from consulting rose almost 3% to $5.31 billion, higher than StreetAccount’s $5.16 billion consensus. Infrastructure revenue went up 14% to $4.14 billion, above the $3.75 billion StreetAccount average estimate.

During the quarter, IBM announced the next-generation z17 mainframe computer and the acquisition of data and artificial intelligence consulting firm Hakkoda.

IBM called for over $13.5 billion in 2025 free cash flow, similar to a projection from April. The company still sees at least 5% revenue growth at constant currency for the year.

As of Wednesday’s close, IBM shares were up 28% so far in 2025, while the S&P 500 index has gained around 8% in the same period.

Executives will discuss the results with analysts on a conference call starting at 5 p.m. ET.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.

WATCH: Cramer’s Stop Trading: IBM

Environment

Tesla (TSLA) releases Q2 2025 financing results: earnings down 23%

Published

55 mins ago

July 23, 2025

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Tesla (TSLA) releases Q2 2025 financing results: earnings down 23%

Tesla (TSLA) released its financial results and shareholders’ letter for the second quarter (Q2) 2025 after market close today.

We are updating this post with all the details from the financial results, shareholders’ letter, and the conference call later tonight. Refresh for the latest information.

Tesla Q2 2025 earnings expectations

As we reported in our Tesla Q2 2025 earnings preview yesterday, the Wall Street consensus for this quarter was $22.279 billion in revenue and earnings of $0.40 per share.

The expectations had been significantly downgraded over the last month, as analysts were surprised by Tesla’s announcement of much lower deliveries than expected in the first quarter.

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How did Tesla do compared to expectations?

Tesla Q2 2025 financial results

After the market closed today, Tesla released its financial results for the first quarter and confirmed that it delivered on expectations with earnings of $0.40 per share (non-GAAP), and it exceeded revenue expectations with $22.496 billion during the last quarter.

Tesla’s earnings per share are down 23% year-over-year amid a booming EV market.

Operating income decreased 42% year-over-year to now less than $1 billion, and almost half of it came from regulatory credits.

Tesla’s cash on hand has decreased this quarter for the first time in years. The company lost about $200 million of its giant war chest – now sitting at $36.8 billion.

We will be posting our follow-up posts here about the earnings and conference call to expand on the most important points (refresh the page to see the most recent posts):

Here’s Tesla’s Q2 2025 shareholder presentation in full:

Here’s Tesla’s conference call for the Q2 2025 results:

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