Dark Forces Dominate Universe
The earth, moon, sun and all visible stars in the sky make up less than one
percent of the universe. Almost all the rest is dark matter and dark energy,
unknown 1 that puzzle
astronomers. Observations in recent years have changed the
basic understanding of how the universe evolved and have emphasized for
astronomers how little is known 2 the
major forces and substances that shaped our world. Astronomers
now know that luminous matter-stars, planets and hot gas—
3 only about 0.4 percent of the universe. Non-luminous
components, such as black holes and intergalacticgas, make up 3.6 percent. The
rest is either dark matter, about 23 percent, or dark energy, about 73
percent. Dark matter, sometimes called "cold dark matter", has
been known for some 4 . Only recently
have researchers come to understand the pivotal role it
5 in the formation of stars, planets and even
people. "We owe our very existence to dark matter," said
physicist Paul Steinhardt and a co-author of a review on dark matter which
appeared not long 6 in the journal
Science. Steinhardt said it is believed that following the Big
Bang, the theoretical 7 of the
universe, dark matter caused particles to clump together. That set up the
gravitation processes that led to the formation of stars and galaxies. Those
stars, in turn, created the basic chemicals, such as carbon and iron, that were
8 to the evolution of life.
"Dark matter dominated the formation of structure in the early universe,"
Steinhardt said. "For the first few billion years dark matter contained
9 of the mass of the universe. You can
think of ordinary matter as a froth of an Ocean of dark matter. The dark matter
clumps and the ordinary matter falls into it. That led to the 10 of the stars and galaxies."
Without dark matter, "there 11 be
virtually no structures in the universe." The nature of dark
matter is 12 . It cannot be seen or
detected 13 . Astronomers know it is
there because of its effect on celestial objects than can be seen and
measured. But the most dominating force of
14 in the universe is called dark energy. A recently proven
power that astronomers say is causing the galaxies in the universe to separate
at a faster and faster speed. One scientist said it is clear
now 15 dark matter and dark energy
engaged in a gravitational tug of war that, eventually, dark energy won.
A. personally
B. accurately
C. formally
D. directly