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L7Death t1_iwxnk19 wrote

Reply to comment by DeadNeko in Dark Matter as an Intergalactic Heat Source. Spectra from quasars suggest that intergalactic gas may have been heated by a form of dark matter called dark photons. by MistWeaver80

That's not pure science. That's a lot of math.

The funny thing about math is that various forms can be remarkably similar. The same math can explain completely different things. The equations for gravitational lensing are equivalent to basic refraction, for instance. Perhaps there's no gravitational lensing. Perhaps it's just particles acting as a lense, for instance. Though, that's really besides the point. The point is the same math can describe very different physical phenomenon.

RelMOND is basically as good as LCDM in many ways. Very different approaches with similar results in many cases.

We know we have a dark gravity problem. Gravity is just not very well understood across vast (cosmic to subatomic) scales.

The interesting bit is that by 'fixing gravity' both dark matter and dark energy may become entirely unneeded, or at least significantly reduced in magnitude. That's appealing as it's simpler, ya know, ol occums razor.

Yet our best models (regardless) still fail too frequently. So we still haven't got it right.

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DeadNeko t1_iwy32jp wrote

There is no such thing as "pure science". All scientific theories require so framework by which to understand them. Saying the framework is math isnt lesser.

Sure but you can rule certain explanations through experiments designed to spot the differences this is well known in science. And scientists design experiments all the time to do this.

Occums razor isnt a rule you must follow. In science the best theory is the one that makes the most testable hypothesises.

No one in science thinks the models are right they simply think they are most correct ones we have. Which is true if there's a flaw science will inevitably course correct, and that's already been happening with multiple physics theories losing popularity and some other ideas coming back. The issue is people assuming one idea is right and more worthy of research without any understanding of them.

The simpler answer may seem correct but the universe is under no obligation to be simple, or even be intuitive to us at all.

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