Seeing might be believing, but sometimes it’s what can’t be seen that’s most interesting. Since the 1930s, researchers have theorized that dark matter—which can’t be perceived by our eyes—is responsible for anomalies in the rotation of galaxies and other phenomena. Maybe it can account for socks vanishing from the dryer, or would that be a black hole? At the NSTA Conference on Thursday, conference attendees got a chance to see how they can make dark matter work in their high school classes when Nancy Bynum shared tips on Using Dark Matter to Teach Physics Concepts. “Dark Matter can be used to teach uniform circular motion, universal gravitation, two dimensional collisions, nature of science and technology as well as Newton's second law,” says Bynum. Although there isn’t any direct evidence that dark matter exists, many physicists think it does. Bynum didn't offer conclusive evidence of dark matter, but during the session, she shed light on a topic that leaves many students in the dark. Let me know if you find any stray socks. --Lynn Petrinjak