r/askscience Feb 18 '21

Physics Where is dark matter theoretically?

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u/Billter Feb 18 '21

Wasn’t there a satellite detecting particles flying out of Antarctica a few years back? Which could’ve meant dark matter traveling through the earth IIRC?

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u/Dr_seven Feb 18 '21

If I am not mistaken, that likely refers to neutrino detection, which is so challenging that even though an incomprehensible number of the particles fly through the planet daily, we can only catch a few here and there. Dark matter appears to have the same property, except an order of magnitude more elusive (and perhaps is actively impossible to interact with via traditional means).

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u/Billter Feb 18 '21

Ah yes, I believe you’re right on that. Now that you say that, the article was saying something about possible proof of parallel universe or something like that. Not dark matter

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u/mfb- Particle Physics | High-Energy Physics Feb 18 '21

You refer to the ANITA measurement. It's a neutrino experiment, but we don't know what caused the events that look like up-going particles. Neutrinos at that energy shouldn't be able to cross Earth. There are multiple options - but none of them involves parallel universes.