D
DrRocket
Guest
<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Well, I'd argue that Dark matter isn't just a place holder or a fancy way of saying "here there be dragons". There is a lot of work in the field trying to figure out the 'properties' of dark matter. Mostly it's making lots of observations, lots of models to figure out what sort of matter is required to produce what we see.Basically, it's like trying to figure out what's in a present without opening it. You shake it, listen to it, weigh it, examine the shape of the box, etc, etc, etc, so that you might be able to figure out what it is. Hopefully so that when you do open the present, you go "that makes perfect sense!". Hopefully <br />Posted by Saiph</DIV></p><p>I think it is definitely a place holder. I don't think it is shorthand for "here there be dragons". But we don't have a particularly good idea of what it is, where it is concentrated, or why it would be distributed in any of the hypothesized ways.</p><p>I don't think it is quite like trying to figure out what is in a present without opening it either. We seem to lack the box, let alone the pretty bow. Even being able to exhibit the box would be a giant step forward. Then maybe we could rattle it and weigh it. We are close to wondering if there is a Santa Claus or not.</p><p>You have to admit that it is pretty embarassing to have a conjecture that most of the universe consists of something that we seem to know nothing about. We know a lot more about what it isn't than what it is. The only thing that I am sure of is that the search for an explanation is legitimate science. <br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>