Dark Matter Could Turn Some Planets Into Tiny Black Holes

Giant worlds beyond the Solar System could be the probe we need to figure out how dark matter manifests in the Universe.

According to a new study, one particular dark matter model could see the mysterious mass accumulating in the cores of giant planets, collapsing into tiny black holes destined to consume the surrounding material over time.

If we can find evidence of the resulting planet-mass object, it might validate the existence of a hefty form of dark matter that doesn't destroy itself.

"If the dark matter particles are heavy enough and don't annihilate, they may eventually collapse into a tiny black hole ," says astrophysicist Mehrdad Phoroutan-Mehr of the University of California, Riverside.

"This black hole could then grow and consume the entire planet, turning it into a