'We need to broaden our search, and now we can.' Scientists are set to unleash a powerful new weapon in the hunt for dark matter

An illustration shows a galaxy embedded in a halo of dark matter, the search for this mysterious "stuff" is about to widen.

Scientists are about to unleash a powerful new weapon in the hunt for dark matter, the mysterious substance that accounts for around 85% of the "stuff" in the universe. Like a super-weapon developed by a stereotypical supervillain, this new dark matter detector is hidden over a mile deep beneath the French Alps.

This highly sensitive detector, developed by an international team of researchers including scientists from Johns Hopkins University, will expand the search for potential dark matter particles beyond its current parameters. It could thus provide evidence for the existence of a particular dark matter candidate particle, or the detector could help rule out some suspects.