The Bullet Cluster of galaxies, showing the hot gas in red and a map of the inferred dark matter distribution in blue.

For years, the reigning model for cosmology argues that the universe is filled with unseen dark matter, believed to comprise the bulk of the mass in the universe. However, despite painstaking searches, scientists have yet to detect particles which would make up this dark matter. Why are these particles so elusive? Might they not be there at all? On the evening of June 2 at the World Science Festival in New York City, CWRU Astronomy chair Stacy McGaugh joined a panel of scientists to discuss alternative theories about the presence (or absence!) of dark matter in the universe. You can watch the video of their panel discussion here: “Shaking Up the Dark Universe: The Dark Horses of Dark Matter”.