Modern science, rather than demystifying the universe, has ultimately made it more mysterious, thereby increasing the credibility of religion, according to physicist and former science editor Michael Guillén.
Guillén points to the discoveries of dark matter and dark energy as prime examples of science revealing profound unknowns. He notes that Fritz Zwicky's 1933 observations of galaxy clusters revealed a "missing mass" problem, suggesting that galaxies moved faster than could be explained by visible matter. This unseen substance was termed "dunkle materie," or dark matter. Nearly a century later, scientists still do not know what dark matter is, though it is understood to be gravitational in nature and invisible because it does not interact with light.
Further complicating the cosmic picture, Edwin Hubble's 1929 discovery of the universe's expansion was challenged in 1998 when two teams of astronomers found that this expansion is accelerating. This phenomenon led to the postulation of "dark energy," an invisible, repulsive force that permeates the universe. Despite being named, dark energy remains an enigma.
Together, dark matter and dark energy are estimated to account for 95% of the observable cosmos. Guillén argues that this means all of scientific understanding, based on the visible 5%, is built upon a fraction of reality. This realization, he suggests, deepens the universe's mystery rather than dispelling it.
Guillén contends that as science uncovers more about the universe, it underscores how little is truly understood. He invokes the Apostle Paul's words, "For now we see through a glass, darkly," suggesting that even with advanced scientific instruments, humanity's perception of reality remains limited. The author, who holds a PhD in physics and previously served as Science Editor for ABC News, believes that the expanding discoveries of science ultimately make the universe more conducive to faith.