Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope to peer back in time into the farthest reaches of the universe have found stunning evidence for an alternate theory of gravity.
Current models of galaxy formation in the early cosmos predict the presence of excess gravity caused by dark matter to pull material into slowly forming galaxies. However, an alternate theory of gravity first proposed in 1998 called Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) suggests that structures in the early universe formed very quickly without the need for theoretical dark matter.
Now, researchers from Case Western Reserve University say that scans of ancient galaxies gathered by the JWST seem to contradict the commonly accepted predictions of the most widely accepted Cold Dark Matter theory, Lambda-CDM. Instead, the readings seem to support a basis for MOND, which would force astronomers and cosmologists to reconsider this alternative and long-controversial theory of gravity.
The Lambda-CDM model has long posited that dark matter, an elusive and invisible form of matter, is essential for explaining the structure of the universe. According to this model, dark matter’s gravitational influence shaped galaxies and caused the formation of large-scale structures. It predicts that ancient galaxies in the early universe should appear small and dim, as they were gradually pulled together by dark matter over cosmic time.