Some people may worry about being bitten by a snake or spider, but have you ever considered what would happen if a small black hole tried to pass through your body?
An article by Professor of Physics Robert Scherrer in the International Journal of Modern Physics D poses and answers that very question. Scherrer set out to find what the gravitational effects would be if a primordial black hole passed through the human body, helping scientists better understand the properties of dark matter.
Primordial black holes are hypothetical black holes that formed in the early universe, possibly within the first second after the Big Bang. They have potential masses ranging from 100,000 times less than a paperclip to 100,000 times more than the sun. Some researchers think these black holes may make up some, or all, of the universe's dark matter.
In his article, Scherrer examined the minimum size of a primordial black hole needed to cause significant injury to a person. Knowing this information can then help determine the properties of this type of dark matter, such as its mass.
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