WIMPS

There’s an interesting article in Physorg.com this morning. Something called the Cryogenic Dark Matter Research Project, being run by Fermi Labs and involving several universities, made a major announcement today. Which is; they still haven’t found any dark matter. The experiment involves some cryogenically chilled crystals that will make a sound if WIMPs happen by and interact. WIMP’s of course, are Weakly Interacting Massive Particles, thought to be the best candidate for dark matter. The announcement was all about how the CDMRP had “regained” the lead in the search for dark matter. Better equipment, much more sensitive crystals and less background noise. They said the new device should be able to detect WIMPs even if only two or three impact it during the course of a year. The scientists tried, but were unable to keep me from noticing the big “NO DETECTION” comment towards the end of the article. I’m not making fun of the fact that they haven’t found anything yet (yes I am) because sometimes these things take a while. Why, look how long Crypto-Zoologists have been looking for The Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch and Chupacabra, Madeline O’Hare, and Jimmy Hoffa, and they still haven’t hit pay dirt. No, my complaint is that they held this big press conference to announce they haven’t found anything yet, despite exponential improvements to their detectors. As I always say, Dark Matter may exist, but I’m waiting for some hard evidence. The universe expanding faster than it should be is not hard evidence.