Scientists find universe's missing matter while watching fast radio bursts shine through 'cosmic fog'

Astronomers have used fast radio bursts (FRBs)— brief, bright radio signals fromdistant galaxies— to pinpoint the location of the universe’s “missing” matter in the spacebetween galaxies. This artist’s conception depicts this ordinary matter in the warm, thin gas inthis region—called the intergalactic medium (IGM)— which has been difficult for scientists todirectly observe until now. Different colors of light travel at different speeds through space. Here,the artist has used blue to highlight denser regions of the cosmic web, transitioning to redderlight for void areas.

Half of the universe's ordinary matter was missing — until now.

Astronomers have used mysterious but powerful explosions of energy called fast radio bursts (FRBs) to detect the universe's missing "normal" matter for the first time.