Mars could be acting a little strangely in future, and scientists believe its behaviour could help to indicate dark matter. The new research could have major consequences for the study of the mysterious material in the universe.

In a new study, MIT physicists propose that if most of the dark matter in the universe is made up of microscopic primordial black holes—an idea first proposed in the 1970s—then these gravitational dwarfs should zoom through our solar system at least once per decade.

Tiny black hole "bullets" left over from the Big Bang could be passing through Mars at speeds in excess of 7,000 times the speed of sound, causing the Red Planet to "wobble."

Watching for changes in the Red Planet’s orbit over time could be a new way to detect passing dark matter. MIT physicists suggest that primordial black holes, formed just after the Big Bang, could constitute most of the universe's dark matter.

New simulations suggest that there are enough primordial black holes—potential dark matter candidates—in the universe for one to pass through the inner solar system every decade. The work builds upon an astrophysical theory that has growing popularity.

The long-standing mystery of how supermassive black holes grew so huge so quickly could be solved by decaying dark matter