News: Cosmology, Theoretical Physics and Gravity
Read the latest news from the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin
Dark Matter Might Have Formed Earlier than Thought
The new model is called WIFI, which stands for dark matter production during Warm Inflation via Freeze-In.
McDonald Observatory
Early Dark Energy Could Resolve Cosmology’s Two Biggest Puzzles
Michael Boylan-Kolchin and others show “early dark energy” might help solve the Hubble Tension and explain why there are more early galaxies than expected.
Improved Method for Estimating the Hubble Constant with Gravitational Waves
There’s a big debate in cosmology about how fast the universe is currently expanding.
Is Cosmology in Crisis?
A panel of physicists and astronomers grapple with possible cracks in our modern creation myth, the standard model of cosmology.
Excavation of Colossal Caverns for Neutrino Experiment Completed
The caverns in Lead, South Dakota, will house the gigantic particle detectors of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment.
James Webb Telescope Catches Glimpse of Possible First-Ever ‘Dark Stars’
Stars powered with dark matter still need proving but could reveal clues about the nature of one of the universe’s great mysteries.
Scientists use Exotic Stars to Tune into Hum from Cosmic Symphony
A team of astrophysicists has found evidence for gravitational waves that oscillate with periods of years to decades.
James Webb Space Telescope Images Challenge Theories of How Universe Evolved
Hefty young galaxies defy the reigning model of cosmology, called "dark energy + cold dark matter" or ΛCDM.
Cosmic Dawn III Recreates the Early Universe Epoch of Reionization in Unprecedented Detail
Scientists create the most detailed and accurate simulation ever produced of the first billion years of the universe.
A Physicist’s Search for Beauty
Steven Weinberg aimed to distill the rules of physics down to their simplest, most beautiful essence.
