Science & Nature

The Force That Rules the Universe

Dark Energy Is Accelerating the Expansion of the Universe — and We Have No Idea What It Is

Saul Perlmutter

Astrophysicist at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of the accelerating expansion of the universe.

March 6, 2026·9 min read

The Force That Rules the Universe

In 1998, astronomers discovered that the expansion of the universe is accelerating — driven by a mysterious force called dark energy. Dark energy makes up 68% of the total energy content of the universe, yet its nature is completely unknown. Understanding it is one of the greatest challenges in physics.

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dark energycosmologyuniversephysicsastronomy

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