There’s something strange happening in the universe – something that should, theoretically, be impossible. It is as if large areas of the universe are being hoovered up by a vast and unseen celestial vacuum cleaner.

The chance discovery of what is ominously being referred to as ‘dark flow’ not only has implications for the destinies of vast numbers of galaxies – it also means that a large number of scientists may need to rethink their understanding of the universe.