Cosmology

The universe is believed to be expanding at an accelerating rate, thanks to a mysterious force dubbed dark energy. But how exactly does this force work?

An astrophysicist from Oxford has put forward a new theory that suggests that dark matter and dark energy are actually part of the same phenomenon: a “dark fluid” with negative mass that fills the universe.

Scientists have identified a Type Ia supernova behind a galaxy two billion light years away that is acting like a gigantic magnifying glass. This is the first such supernova to be seen by gravitational lensing and could give a better understanding of how the universe is expanding.

At this moment, two Voyager probes are speeding out into the unknown each carrying a "golden record" with information about our planet, our many different languages, our sciences and arts. But if a new theory about life in the universe is correct, those records may never find an audience.

A 20-month experiment conducted a mile underground has failed to detect dark matter particles directly, but the results are still giving scientists important clues on the nature of this elusive substance.

New software has been developed that incorporates all the complexities of the equations of Einstein's general theory of relativity to help produce models of the cosmos far more complex and detailed than ever before constructed

Brief bursts of radio waves arriving from far-off galaxies could help astronomers estimate cosmological distances and piece together a 3D map of matter in the universe, thanks to a new technique proposed by two cosmologists from the University of British Columbia.

A team of scientists from Hungary and the US have discovered the largest structure in the universe – a ring of nine galaxies 7 billion light years away and 5 billion light years wide. Though not visible from Earth, it covers a third of our sky.

A new study suggests that the amount of dark matter in the cosmos, the catalyst that facilitates the creation of new stars and galaxies, is decreasing as it interacts with dark energy. This would mean that the Universe could be destined to end up a desolate and nearly featureless place.

A team of astronomers at The Australian National University (ANU) working on a five-year project to produce the first comprehensive digital survey of the southern sky has discovered the oldest known star in the Universe, which formed shortly after the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago.

The close of 2013 gives us an excellent opportunity, though satiated with holiday feasts, to look back on a year that has been filled with scientific accomplishment.

Our knowledge of the large-scale structure of the Universe continues to take shape. Moving forward requires attempts to squeeze subtle information from huge data sets, which can prove a dicey exercise. A case in point are the largest known structures in the Universe – large quasar groups.