Our universe is darker and more mysterious than even the post-apocalyptic movies suggest. According to the best estimates, “ordinary matter” – particles like electrons, protons, and neutrons—make up only about five percent of our universe. The other 95 percent consists of ‘dark matter’ and ‘dark energy,’ both euphemisms for ‘haven’t got a clue what this stuff is.’

A majority of scientists agree about what dark matter is not - it is not composed of the usual protons and neutrons, and it doesn’t emit radiation. It isn’t stars or planets, and it isn’t black holes or antimatter. The one thing that is known about dark matter is that it wields some gravitational pull and therefore can be measured. Then there’s dark energy, which is invoked to explain why the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate instead of slowing as one would expect. Dark energy is believed to account for nearly 70 percent of the universe’s mass-energy.

While some of us delight in these unsolved cosmic mysteries, physicists and astronomers are gleefully engaged in a search for the answers. In Dark Matters, Dr. Percy Seymour puts forth his own theory about the nature of dark energy, dark matter, and the fundamental structure of the universe.

Seymour has been principal lecturer in astronomy at the University of Plymouth and senior planetarium lecturer at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. For nearly forty years his work has focused on magnetic fields, so it’s natural that his approach to the question of dark energy and dark matter would incorporate his area of expertise.

The first half of Dark Matters provides an excellent overview of scientific research into magnetic fields, thus building a foundation for Seymour’s theory of plasma space, which is explained briefly in the final section of the book. He proposes “two different types of space,” ordinary and plasma. “The points of ordinary space are rather like neutral atoms in that they are not threaded by lines of force. The points in plasma space are threaded by lines of force.” He further proposes that electromagnetic waves in ordinary space travel at the speed of light, while Alfven waves in plasma space can exceed the speed of light.

Seymour’s scientific credibility is likely undermined by his previous works, The Scientific Proof of Astrology and The Third Level of Reality, both of which have been embraced by proponents of new-age philosophies that make the scientific community snort in disgust. Does this theory hold water? Who knows? In a world where Bell’s theorem and black holes have turned out to be real, the validity of any new theory has to be considered. In any case, Seymour’s lead-in to his own theory is an excellent overview of the history and development of magenetic field research, and well worth reading for that reason alone.