An international group of scientists has been studying how the structure of the universe has grown over the past 11 billion years.一个国际科学家小组一直在研究宇宙的结构在过去的110亿年中是如何发展的。 These researchers recently announced findings about how gravity behaves at a very large scale.这些研究人员最近宣布了有关重力在大规模下如何表现的发现。 What they found supports a prediction physicist Albert Einstein made in his 1915 theory of general relativity.他们的发现支持了物理学家阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦在1915年的广义相对论中做出的预测。 The findings are part of a years-long study of the history of the universe that has focused on dark energy.这些发现是对宇宙历史长达数年的研究的一部分，该研究的重点是暗能量。 Dark energy is an invisible and mysterious force that is accelerating, or speeding up, the ongoing expansion of the universe.暗能量是一种看不见的神秘力量，正在加速宇宙的持续膨胀。 The study's researchers used a year of observations by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.这项研究的研究人员利用亚利桑那州基特峰国家天文台的暗能量光谱仪器（DESI）进行了一年的观测。 Gravity is one of the universe's fundamental forces.引力是宇宙的基本力之一。 Einstein's theory linked space, time and gravity.爱因斯坦的理论将空间、时间和重力联系起来。 The theory holds that large amounts of mass and energy curve the structure of space-time, influencing the motion of whatever passes nearby.该理论认为，大量的质量和能量使时空结构弯曲，影响附近经过的任何物体的运动。 Dragan Huterer of the University of Michigan was co-leader of the working group that examined the data from DESI.密歇根大学的德拉甘·哈特勒是研究DESI数据的工作小组的共同负责人。 Huterer said: "Einstein's theory of general relativity describes the motion of massive objects in a gravitational field that they create.哈特勒说：“爱因斯坦的广义相对论描述了大质量物体在它们所创造的引力场中的运动。 It is one of the most successful physical theories that we have."这是我们拥有的最成功的物理理论之一。” But the announcement in 1998 that the universe's expansion was speeding up raised doubts about Einstein's model.但1998年宇宙膨胀加速的公告引发了人们对爱因斯坦模型的怀疑。 "The discovery of the accelerating universe… led to suggestions that maybe general relativity needs to be modified," Huterer said.“加速宇宙的发现……导致人们认为广义相对论可能需要修改，”哈特勒说。 The new DESI findings revealed gravity is behaving as Einstein predicted that it would.DESI的新发现揭示了引力的行为正如爱因斯坦所预测的那样。 Scientists say the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago began the universe, which has been expanding ever since.科学家表示，138亿年前的大爆炸事件开启了宇宙，此后宇宙一直在膨胀。 They say experiments show the expansion was actually accelerating and dark energy is a possible cause.他们说，实验表明膨胀实际上正在加速，暗能量是一个可能的原因。 The new DESI findings focused on the growth of what is called the cosmic structure.DESI的新发现重点关注所谓宇宙结构的生长。 It dates to when the universe was about 20 percent of its current age.它可以追溯到宇宙大约是目前年龄的20%的时候。 This cosmic structure has a direct connection to the large-scale organization of matter.这种宇宙结构与大规模的物质组织有直接的联系。 Galaxies, galaxy clusters and even larger galaxy superclusters form a cosmic web or connected networks with large areas of space existing in between.星系、星系团甚至更大的星系超星系团形成了一个宇宙网或连接的网络，它们之间存在着大面积的空间。 This structure results from the gravitational pull of matter throughout the universe.这种结构源于整个宇宙物质的引力。 The new study was based on DESI observations of almost 6 million galaxies and their centers, dating back 11 billion years.这项新研究是基于DESI对近600万个星系及其中心的观测，这些星系可以追溯到110亿年前。 The DESI scientists in April released the largest three-dimensional map of the cosmos.DESI科学家四月份发布了最大的宇宙三维地图。 They announced findings suggesting that dark energy may not be an unchangeable force.他们宣布的研究结果表明，暗能量可能不是一种不可改变的力量。 Instead, it might change over time.相反，它可能会随着时间的推移而改变。 Those findings focused on a specific behavior of galaxy clusters.这些发现集中在星系团的特定行为上。 The new research expanded what is known about that behavior.这项新研究扩展了人们对这种行为的了解。 Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki of the University of Texas at Dallas was a co-leader of the working group.德克萨斯大学达拉斯分校的穆斯塔法·伊沙克-布沙基是该工作组的联合领导人。 He said, "Our DESI data shows that it is in agreement with Einstein's theory of gravity but still favors a dynamical dark energy - and finding these simultaneously is new."他说：“我们的DESI数据表明，它与爱因斯坦的引力理论一致，但仍然支持动态暗能量——同时发现这些是新的。” The universe includes ordinary matter: stars, planets, gas, dust.宇宙包括普通物质：恒星、行星、气体、尘埃。 It also contains dark matter.它还含有暗物质。 Dark matter is invisible material that might make up about 27 percent of the cosmos.暗物质是一种看不见的物质，可能占宇宙的约27%。 In addition to that, scientists also believe there is dark energy which might make up 68 percent of the cosmos.除此之外，科学家还认为暗能量可能占宇宙的68%。 "Dark energy is responsible for the accelerated expansion of the universe.“暗能量是宇宙加速膨胀的原因。 The physical nature of dark energy is at present unknown," Huterer said.暗能量的物理性质目前尚不清楚，”哈特勒说。 The new findings appear to support the current "standard model" of cosmology that includes the theory of general relativity.新发现似乎支持了当前的宇宙学“标准模型”，其中包括广义相对论。 The DESI working group involves more than 900 researchers from more than 70 organizations worldwide.DESI工作组由来自全球70多个组织的900多名研究人员组成。 It is overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.它由美国能源部劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室监督。 The new research was published in the arXiv online database before undergoing the process of peer review.这项新研究在经过同行评审之前发布在arXiv在线数据库中。 I'm John Russell.约翰·拉塞尔为您播报。
