Central surface density of dark matter agrees with the prediction of a new theory of gravity

A researcher from Sejong University has used a new theory of gravity proposed by Erik Verlinde to predict the observed central surface density of dark matter. The study was published in Physics of the Dark Universe on Sept. 20. The science-journalism coverage adds useful context, while the strongest evidential footing still comes from the underlying data, papers or institutional documentation.

That matters because cosmology operates at the edge of what current instruments can measure, where systematic errors and model assumptions are never trivial. Small discrepancies between independent measurements have historically pointed toward missing physics rather than simple calibration errors, and the ongoing tension in the Hubble constant is a live example of how a persistent disagreement between methods can reshape the theoretical landscape. Each new dataset that approaches this territory with independent systematics adds real information to a problem that has resisted easy resolution for more than a decade. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Since the 1970s, the rotation speeds of galaxies have been regarded as important observational evidence for the existence of dark matter.

In 1983, Mordehai Milgrom proposed that Newtonian gravity might need to be modified in regimes of very weak gravitational acceleration. In 2016, Verlinde proposed a new theory of gravity, known as "emergent gravity," aimed at explaining gravitational phenomena on galactic scales without assuming the existence of.

In the new study, Youngsub Yoon applied Verlinde's theory of gravity to calculate the central surface density that would be inferred if dark matter were assumed to exist. The study uses a new relation Yoon proposed in 2024 while addressing a technical issue in Verlinde's theory of gravity.

In my 2024 study, I pointed out a technical issue in Verlinde's theory of gravity and proposed a relation to address it. This study shows that a new theory of gravity that does not assume dark matter can explain yet another intriguing regularity observed in galaxies.

The relevance goes beyond one dataset because even small shifts in measured parameters can matter when the field is testing the limits of the standard cosmological model. The Lambda-CDM framework describes the observable universe with remarkable economy, but its success rests on two components, dark matter and dark energy, whose physical nature remains entirely unknown. Any credible measurement that tightens or loosens the constraints on those components moves the entire theoretical enterprise forward, regardless of whether the immediate result looks dramatic on its own terms.

I hope that this study, together with other research reexamining conventional theories of gravity in the weak-gravity regime, will contribute to testing new theories of gravity. BA art history, MA material culture.

Because this item comes through Phys. org Physics as science journalism, it should be treated as contextual reporting rather than primary evidence. Good science reporting can identify why a result matters, connect it to the wider literature and make technical work readable, but the decisive evidence remains in the original paper, dataset, mission release or technical record. That distinction is especially important when a story is later repeated by aggregators, because repetition increases visibility, not evidential strength.

The next step is to see whether the effect survives when independent surveys, different calibration strategies and tighter control of systematic uncertainties enter the picture. Programmes such as Euclid, DESI and the Rubin Observatory will deliver datasets over the next several years that cover the same parameter space with largely independent methods. If the current signal persists through those tests, its theoretical implications will become impossible to set aside.

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