When an invisible entity making up 85% of the universe’s mass stumps the greatest scientific minds of our time, awe is an understandable response.Physicists call it “ dark matter, ” a substance they describe as the cosmic glue, the scaffolding, a web that uses gravity to corral, shape and hold together stars, planets and galaxies. Yet nobody knows exactly what it is.the Dalai Lama’s invitation. Being awed by a mystifying universe feels like a spiritual experience, he says.Impey, an agnostic, has found many aspects of Buddhism compatible with modern cosmology.“They can accommodate in their tradition an ancient universe, billions of years old,” he said. “They can accommodate many worlds, life in other worlds, life more advanced than us.”Scientific inquiry could be pathway to the divineAdam Hincks, a Jesuit priest who teaches at the University of Toronto and serves as an adjunct scholar at the Vatican Observatory, believes that for some, contemplating dark matter and dark energy could elevate their minds to God.AdvertisementAdvertisement“There are also other things in the universe that for some, would be a similar conduit, such as a beautiful waterfall,” he said. “As the creator, God is present in all of creation, and contemplating creation is a portal to contemplating the divine.”Australian astrophysicist Ken Freeman is considered a “dark matter pioneer” primarily for his landmark 1970 research that provided some of the first modern evidence of invisible mass in spiral galaxies. Freeman is Christian; like many scientists before him, he wonders about the role of intuition in scientific discovery.“You wake up in the middle of the night with a thought and you have no idea where that came from,” he said. “People of faith might look at it as the action of the Holy Spirit.”Was his urge to study dark matter the Holy Spirit’s work?AdvertisementAdvertisement“I would not paint it that way, but it’s a nagging possibility,” he said.Jennifer Wiseman, a Christian astrophysicist, draws on her faith for wisdom as she investigates the big, enigmatic questions of the universe and ponders using scientific progress to serve humanity.“Studying the deep universe may make us feel insignificant,” Wiseman said. “But it also gives us a sense of unity that we’re all on the same planet. … The hope is we get a sense of joy, humility and love from these contemplations.”___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. …
