‘Slime Mold’ Helps Astronomers Map the Universe’s Dark Matter

The food-seeking behavior of a simple organism is helping astronomers trace the universe’s vast cosmic web, dark matter and all.

By John Wenz
Mar 14, 2020 9:02 PMMar 14, 2020 2:00 PM
cosmicwebillustris
This snapshot of a detailed computer simulation (unrelated to this study) shows the complex structure of the cosmic web. Long filaments of dark matter (blue) connect knots of galaxies and galaxy clusters (pink), while gas (orange) permeates throughout. By modeling and observing the cosmic web, researchers are gaining insights into the structure and evolution of the early universe. (Credit: Illustris Collaboration)

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A brainless, single-celled organism with a knack for finding food is helping astronomers study the largest, most mysterious structure in the universe — the cosmic web. But, first, things could get a bit slimy. 

The cosmic web is a vast network of interconnected filaments made of dark matter and gas that forms the scaffolding the entire universe is built upon. These filaments can stretch hundreds of millions of light-years, and they connect galaxies, galaxy clusters and even galaxy superclusters. However, because the cosmic web is incredibly faint — and the dark matter within it doesn’t interact with light — it’s extremely difficult to map.  

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