Physicists have determined that most of the universe is dark matter — invisible to us but affecting the universe anyway. Could it exist in another dimension?
Researchers have been looking at everything, including supernovas, trying to uncover the mysteries of dark matter. Recent scientific studies suggest that dark matter might not be a particle hiding in the universe. Instead, it’s possible that it could be the result of physics happening in a hidden, fifth dimension. According to a 2024 article in Wired, researchers working in string theory proposed a „dark dimension scenario.“ In addition to the four already-known dimensions of spacetime, consisting of the three spatial dimensions plus time itself, there could be a compact fifth dimension that potentially explains the effects credited to dark matter, including why gravity is weaker than other forces.
In the extra dimension, there could be heavy particles called gravitons or other particles that carry gravity that act like dark matter. This would add the „missing mass“, helping to explain why galaxies spin like they do and how the universe’s structure forms. SciTechDaily explains that some scientists think looking at ordinary particles from a five-dimensional perspective could produce a new heavy particle that connects normal matter with hidden „dark“ matter. These ideas suggest that the universe’s missing mass may not be missing after all; it could just be hidden in a fifth dimension beyond our space and time.
