Seeing the Invisible: How AI and Gravitational Lensing Reveal the Dark Universe

Much of the universe - dark matter, dark energy, and the forces shaping cosmic evolution - remains invisible to us. So how do astronomers study what they can’t directly observe?

In this lecture, Xiaosheng Huang, Professor of Physics & Astronomy at the University of San Francisco, explores how scientists use gravitational lensing - where massive objects bend light like a cosmic magnifying glass - alongside artificial intelligence and advanced statistical models to uncover hidden structures in the universe.

These cutting-edge methods are helping researchers identify rare cosmic systems and better understand the “dark universe,” offering new insights into how the cosmos has evolved - and what it’s made of.