clipped from: www.universetoday.com   

How Dark Matter Might Have Snuffed Out the First Stars


What role did dark matter play in the early Universe? Since it makes up the majority of matter, it must have some effect. A team of researchers is proposing that massive quantities of dark matter formed dark stars in the early Universe, preventing the first generations of stars from entering their main sequence stage. Instead of burning with hydrogen fusion, these “dark stars” were heated by the annihilation of dark matter.


Artist impression of the first stars. Image credit: Hubble