Indirect evidence of ‘dark photons’ has been spotted in the shrapnel of thousands of particle-smashing experiments. This could provide a glimpse into the mysterious nature of dark matter — which seems to make up most of the mass of the universe but is almost impossible to observe, other than by its gravitational effects. “The story is something like this: there could be an additional dark sector, where dark matter resides,” says particle physicist Carlos Wagner. Dark photons, if they exist, could weakly interact with normal matter, offering a window into the dark sector.

  • slurp
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    1 year ago

    No, not based on what we have (indirectly) observed. Dark matter either doesn’t interact electromagnetically, or so extremely weakly that it doesn’t seem to affect it’s distribution throughout galaxies. A purely gravitationally interacting, extremely low density lifeform must be impossible due to the lacking complexity that allows.