UNILAD - A worrying new study has found that some planets might develop black holes from within that go on to destroy them.
The research, which was published on August 20, found that dark matter may gather over time in the center of some planets which creates a black hole that ultimately goes on to devour the planet from the inside out.
While we don't really know what dark matter is, it makes up around 27 percent of the universe, says NASA.
The space agency further explains: "Dark matter is the invisible glue that holds the universe together. This mysterious material is all around us, making up most of the matter in the universe."
Dark matter doesn't create black holes, but it can help form them.
Exoplanets (a planet that orbits a star outside the solar system) in particular are said to be 'ideal celestial detectors for probing dark matter interactions', per the new study.
Using theoretical calculations, researchers suggested that exoplanets could collect dark matter in their cores over long periods of time.
Co-lead author Mehrdad Phoroutan-Mehr, an astronomer at the University of California, Riverside, said: "If the dark matter particles are heavy enough and don’t annihilate, they may eventually collapse into a tiny black hole.