The decades-long search for dark matter could ultimately end in an impasse. This mysterious substance that is thought to hold galaxies together should also surround and even stream through our bodies.

"If we see the lampshade effect in action, it will tell us about what dark matter could be, which is exciting." Dark matter clumps could act as stellar lampshades, drifting between Earth and distant ...

Emma R. Hasson is Scientific American’s Games ace and a Ph.D. candidate in mathematics at the City University of New York Graduate Center with expertise in math education and communication. Hasson was ...