Dark Matter

You know what really worries me? Dark Matter. 25% of the mass in the universe is apparently made of this stuff, as opposed to the 4% of the universe made of non-dark matter, or "normal" matter. Dark matter can't been seen, it does not interact with non-dark matter. It therefore has never been directly observed. Instead, it is really an idea used to explain the fact the equations about the universe aren't coming out properly. Not that it's necessarily wrong. Apparently, two galaxies that passed through each other left some sort of gravitational schmear that the astronomers are calling proof of dark matter.

If you want to actually know something intelligible about dark matter, you should probably visit some websites. As always, mahalo.com has some of the best (low-ad) links for more info. I listened to a mind-blowing account of the problem on the always-awesome Astronomy Cast podcast. (Sorry, I can't remember which episode they talked about it on.)

So what is the deal with a huge hunk of all there is being stuff that might be close it hand, but we have never seen? Is it really just a massive mistake, or just a placeholder for something that is going to make more sense later? Will it be like so many scientific puzzles, that seem to fall within a generation of realizing the problem, or will it never be solved by humans? Is Einstein wrong (apparently that's an option that works out well enough). He's been wrong before (see: Quantum mechanics).

And I didn't even mention doggone dark energy. Pete's sake!