Science and technology | Dark secrets
The dominant model of the universe is creaking
Dark energy could break it apart
![A slice of the 3D map of galaxies collected in the first year of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Survey.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240622_STP001.jpg)
IN ARIZONA, AT Kitt Peak National Observatory, a telescope has spent three years building a three-dimensional map of the heavens. In examining the light from tens of millions of galaxies, the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) may have found something astounding.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Cracks in the heavens”
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