Q Did the universe undergo TWO Big Bangs? Physicists claim a second rapid expansion created levels of dark matter we 'see' today Dark matter is known to exist due to gravitational effect it has on galaxies Most theories struggle to explain the prevalence of the invisible substance Physicists have published a new theory that may answer the problem A second inflation after the Big Bang affected spread of dark matter By Richard Gray for MailOnline Published: 01:24 EST, 22 January 2016 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...pansion-created-levels-dark-matter-today.html Dark matter is said to be the most abundant material in the universe, yet scientists have never seen a drop of the mysterious substance. While astronomers have been able to estimate how much of the universe is made up of this enigmatic matter, most theories struggle to explain its widespread presence. But now a new theory may have provided an answer to why we 'see' the levels of dark matter we do in the universe - it underwent its very own, second 'Big Bang', albeit slightly smaller than the first. Physicists have published a new theory that suggests the universe underwent a second period of rapid inflation (illustrated) in the moments after the Big Bang, which may explain the abundance of dark matter. But it also clarifies why we don't 'see' the levels of dark matter that mathematical models predict Under the widely accepted theory for how our universe began, it is thought to have undergone an extremely rapid period of expansion within a fraction of a second – known as the Big Bang. This explosive inflation produced a hot universe that caused matter and anti-matter to interact and annihilate each other. ... ... UQ