Blending cutting-edge science with her own behind-the-scenes insights as a leading researcher in the field, acclaimed theoretical physicist Katherine Freese recounts the hunt for dark matter, from the discoveries of visionary scientists like Fritz Zwicky--the Swiss astronomer who coined the term "dark matter" in 1933--to the deluge of data today from underground laboratories, satellites in space, and the Large Hadron Collider.

The Golden Era of particle cosmology, or, How I joined the Chicago Mafia -- How do cosmologists know dark matter exists? : the beginning of the dark matter story -- The big picture of the universe : Einstein and the Big Bang -- Big Bang nucleosynthesis proves that atomic matter constitutes only 5% of the universe -- What is dark matter? -- The discovery of the Higgs Boson -- The experimental hunt for dark matter particles -- Claims of detection : are they real? -- Dark energy and the fate of the universe -- Dark stars.