One year ago, astronomers announced their surprise discovery a galaxy almost entirely devoid of dark matter. As the first galaxy ever found lacking the elusive substance — which is thought to account for 85 percent of the universe’s mass — the news rippled through the astronomical community. This left some researchers delightfully intrigued, and others understandably skeptical.

“If there’s [only] one object, you always have a little voice in the back of your mind saying, ‘but what if you’