"Every so often, advocates of a fringe theory - one that doesn't fit the evidence as well as the mainstream theory - do what they can to breathe life back into it. Sometimes new evidence has come to light, legitimately challenging the mainstream theory and demanding that previously discarded alternatives be re-evaluated. Sometimes, a surprising set of observations supports a once-discredited theory, bringing it back into prominence. And at other times, it isn't new data that elevates a contrarian viewpoint, but rather a false narrative is the culprit, as disingenuous arguments that have been rightfully dismissed by mainstream professionals suddenly take hold among either a new generation of inexperienced individuals, or outsiders who haven't been exposed to the wide array of mainstream facts that supports the consensus position."
"Unless you yourself have the necessary expertise to diagnose what's being presented accurately and fully, however, it's virtually impossible to tell these scenarios apart. Over the past few years, these disingenuous arguments have gotten more and more popular. One example is a well-known contrarian physicist who suggested, in text and in video, that the situation surrounding dark matter has changed, and that modified gravity now deserves equal consideration. Even more recently, another prominent physicist has stated a similarly dubious case for the non-existence of dark matter."
"Unless you're in the business of ignoring the majority of the cosmic evidence that we already have, however, you'll find that those assertions are simply not the case. Here are five truths about dark matter that, once you know them, can help you see through the false equivalencies presented by those who would sow undue doubt about one of cosmology's biggest puzzles."
The abundance of normal, baryonic matter in the Universe is precisely determined by primordial nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background measurements, leaving a large mass deficit. Gravitational effects observed on galactic, cluster, and cosmological scales exceed what baryons can produce, implying nonbaryonic dark matter. Modified gravity can sometimes fit specific phenomena but cannot simultaneously reproduce the cosmic microwave background, large-scale structure, and cluster dynamics. Recent contrarian claims advocating modified gravity ignore the cumulative, independent lines of evidence that favor dark matter. Knowledge of multiple concordant observations makes the need for dark matter clear and robust.
Read at Big Think
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