In physics, there are tons of things we think we already “solved” but I’m not sure the real problem is the answer. It’s the question.
We often analyze clean observations through an incomplete model, then treat the mismatch as a new “thing” in the universe, and suddenly we get a whole zoo of complex theories. Dark matter and dark energy are the sharpest examples! galaxy rotation curves stay flat where Newtonian gravity says they should fall, and the universe’s expansion seems to accelerate so we add Lamda(!) and call it “vacuum energy,” even though the naive QFT estimate overshoots by absurd orders of magnitude.
pajuhaan•3w ago
We often analyze clean observations through an incomplete model, then treat the mismatch as a new “thing” in the universe, and suddenly we get a whole zoo of complex theories. Dark matter and dark energy are the sharpest examples! galaxy rotation curves stay flat where Newtonian gravity says they should fall, and the universe’s expansion seems to accelerate so we add Lamda(!) and call it “vacuum energy,” even though the naive QFT estimate overshoots by absurd orders of magnitude.