Mysterious signals from space could teach us how dark energy works

Fast radio bursts could be the key to a greater understanding of the cosmos. If we can use these milliseconds-long bursts of radio waves to measure distances across space, it may help us figure out the true nature of dark energy.

We measure cosmic distances using objects called “standard candles”, which have a predictable brightness, or luminosity. By comparing how they appear from Earth to how bright we know they actually ought to be, we can determine how far away they are.

There…