WARNING: This post will probably only be of interest to 0.0001% of you.
I do not believe that dark matter exists. (Note: I have no qualifications for saying this.) However, it seems that every new explanation is just a more elaborate corollary on a fundamentally flawed underlying theory. It is akin to fixing a leaky hole in the dyke with increasingly complicated patches, rather than just replacing the whole dyke.
Isaac Newton could only theorize with available data, which included neither galaxy-scale nor quantum-scale data. His theories work beautifully for the data he had available to him, but science is the process of rewriting theories as new data becomes available. As an example, if all I’ve ever seen are white swans in my backyard, then I would theorize that all swans are white. But upon encountering just one black swan, I’d have to revise my assumption.
Similarly, we now have access to data on a scale that was unavailable when Newton developed his theories. Nonetheless, we have assumed that the scale at which Newton worked (our solar system) is privileged, and must fundamentally apply at all scales. But what if Newton’s theories only applied to the “pond in our backyard,” and cannot be applied on either larger or smaller scales? Since the 1980s, the theory of Modified Newtonian Dynamics has sought to revise fundamental Newtonian equations, rather than building on top of them. New data elaborates on this, as well.
Essentially, I am writing this post to ensure “bragging” rights in a very small community of very dorky people. One day, I’d like to be able to look back, and say “Hah, on Sunday, February 16, 2014, I predicted that the theory of dark matter would be overturned.” And then I will feel good, for 7 seconds.