WE LIVE SURROUNDED BY DARK MATTER

Do we live surrounded by dark matter?

Yes, we are very likely surrounded by dark matter right now.

Astronomers believe that dark matter forms a huge halo that envelops our galaxy, the Milky Way.

Since the Solar System is located within that galaxy, it also moves through that halo.

This means that a large number of dark matter particles would be constantly passing through the Earth, our bodies, and everything around us.

However, there is a fundamental difference compared to normal matter:

does not emit light.

It does not absorb or reflect light.

It barely interacts with ordinary matter.

Its presence is detected mainly by its gravitational effects.

That's why, even though there could be billions of dark matter particles passing through every square centimeter of our bodies every second, we don't notice them.

Scientists deduce its existence because they observe phenomena such as:

The rotation speed of galaxies.

The movement of galaxy clusters.

The bending of light by gravity (gravitational lensing).

The large-scale structure of the universe.

Currently, it is estimated that dark matter constitutes approximately 85% of all the matter in the universe, while ordinary matter (stars, planets, gas, and ourselves) represents only a small fraction.

The fascinating thing is that we still don't know exactly what dark matter is.

There are several hypotheses, from new, as yet undetected particles to modifications of some gravitational theories, but no explanation has been definitively confirmed.

In short: yes, we probably live immersed in an "ocean" of dark matter, even though it is completely invisible and barely interacts with us.

Could there be beings like us?

It's a fascinating idea, but based on what we know today, it's highly improbable.

If "dark matter beings" existed, they would have a huge problem: dark matter seems to interact very little with the forces that allow for the existence of chemistry, atoms, molecules, and ultimately, life as we know it.

We exist because:

Electrons interact with the electromagnetic force.

Atoms form molecules.

Molecules form cells and organisms.

Dark matter, on the other hand, seems to respond primarily to gravity. If it barely interacts with itself or with ordinary matter, it's difficult to imagine how it could build complex structures like organisms.

However, science doesn't completely rule it out.

Some physicists have speculated about the possibility of a "dark sector": a set of unknown particles and forces that interact with each other in a way similar to how normal particles do.

In theory, this could allow for the existence of "dark atoms," "dark stars," or even forms of complexity that we would struggle to recognize as life.

The problem is that, for now:

We haven't directly detected any dark matter particles.

We have no evidence of dark chemistry.

There are no observations that suggest civilizations or beings made of dark matter.

So the short answer is:

Could they be beings like us?

Probably not, because known physics doesn't seem to allow dark matter to form organisms similar to ours.

Could there be completely different, complex forms of "dark life"?

It's a speculative possibility that some scientists have explored theoretically, but today we have no proof that they exist.

Interestingly, if there were a civilization made of dark matter that barely interacted with normal matter, it could be passing through Earth right now without either world being able to perceive the other.

That currently belongs to the realm of scientific hypotheses and science fiction, not proven knowledge.

Another type of being different from us?

Yes, it's a possibility that some scientists and philosophers have considered, although we are entering highly speculative territory.

The question isn't so much whether dark matter could form dark human beings, but whether it could form complex structures that we don't understand.