{
  "id": 9422566,
  "title": "Central surface density of dark matter agrees with the prediction of a new theory of gravity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/central-surface-density-of-dark-matter-agrees-with-the-prediction-of",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-23T21:40:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-central-surface-density-dark-theory.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers at Sejong University have utilized Erik Verlinde's novel theory of gravity to predict the observed central surface density of dark matter, as detailed in a study published in Physics of the Dark Universe on September 20. For decades, astronomers have observed that stars in the outer regions of galaxies rotate faster than would be expected if Newtonian gravity applied solely to visible matter. This phenomenon is typically explained by invoking the presence of dark matter, which exerts additional gravitational pull around galaxies. Alternative theories, like Mordehai Milgrom's proposal to modify Newtonian gravity in weak gravitational fields, and Erik Verlinde's emergent gravity, which attempts to explain gravitational phenomena without dark matter, have been explored. Verlinde's 2016 theory, known as emergent gravity, suggests gravitational phenomena on galactic scales can be understood without dark matter. However, a technical issue arose in Verlinde's formulation that Youngsub Yoon addressed in his 2024 study, proposing a new relation to resolve it. Using this relation, Yoon calculated the central surface density of dark matter in galaxies to be approximately 170 M⊙/pc², which aligns with the observed range of 90–220 M⊙/pc² across galaxies with varying luminosities. This finding demonstrates that Verlinde's theory can replicate the near-constant density observed in galaxies, suggesting the model could provide an alternative explanation for dark matter without directly proving its existence.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}