Dark matter is focus of global contest

University astronomers are inviting people around the world to help solve one of science's enduring mysteries. Researchers have launched a public competition to help them learn more about dark matter. The material accounts for 95 per cent of the mass of the universe, but cannot be seen and is little understood. Astronomers from the University have joined forces with crowdsourcing data science website Kaggle and Winton Capital Management to find people who are interested in taking up the challenge. By encouraging thousands of people to focus on a problem, we have a good chance of making progress quickly. This competition could make a real difference in solving an enigma that has puzzled astronomers for decades. David Harvey School of Physics and Astronomy - The scientists behind the contest hope that it will inspire thousands of people to tackle the problem, using a variety of techniques.