• Question: what is dark matter and can you use it to benefit the earth?

    Asked by Niall Lynas to Andres, Catherine, Darren, Ellie, Samantha on 15 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Andres Olivares del Campo

      Andres Olivares del Campo answered on 15 Nov 2016:

      Hi Niall,

      Very good question.

      Dark matter is just like the “normal matter” that we see around us and make up elements like, oxygen, hydrogen and Iron, but we the difference that it does not interact with us and therefore, it is invisible to us! You can find more information here: /astatinen16-zone/2016/11/05/what-is-dark-matter/

      Now, we understand very little about dark matter so we do not know if it would have any useful applications. Nevertheless, most of the advances in sciences were not driven by their applicability: Einstein theory of relativity was proposed to describe gravity and now it is used to synchronize our GPS on Earth with the satellites on space! Also, it is said of Michael Faraday (who studied electricity) that when he got asked about the use of electrical energy he said by a politician “Why, sir, there is every probability that you will soon be able to tax it!”. What drives fundamental sciences is understanding. This might seem pointless but it is clear that, until we do not understand how things work at the fundamental level, it is very difficult to find something beneficial to do with them!

      Having said this, due to the fact that there is 5 times more Dark Matter than normal matter in our universe, if we ever manage to find a use for it, it will be extremely beneficial as there is plenty of it!

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