David Soubly

There comes a time, late in winter, that many people anticipate. It’s when the long, dark, snowy months give way at last to the warm promise of spring. That’s when we hear the birds, busy declaring territories, see the animals that had disappeared during the dark months, smell that warm brown promising odor of thawing earth coming to life. Spring.

It’s still winter, and for some, that means STILL winter. STILL a time of snow, snow shovels, road salt, slush, cold, and all the rest. Driving...

Let's start this rumination with a phrase made familiar by a recent world leader: “Everybody knows” what dark matter is.

You might not. Dark matter is the vast amount of as-yet unobserved matter in the universe. It’s dark because it doesn’t interact with anything (at least, that we know of). No, you haven’t spotted it lurking in the corner of your apartment. Or have you?

You might not have a physics background. I don’t, either. I’m also not that great at mathematics, beyond the practical...