Dark Matter has mass, anything that has mass receives that mass through its interactions with the Higgs particles.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48084815/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.T_b5NnhrVGQ
Early attempts to calculate vacuum energy (dark energy) failed as the calculations estimated that the energy should be 10^120 times higher than it was actually measured at. Particle interactions with the Higgs field (where Higgs Boson come from) explains why particles move slower in a vacuum than can be assumed through normal calculaitons
I was moreso responding to the fact that you referred to the energy in empty space as "dark matter/dark energy." It made it look like you were referring to the two as one in the same.
And you are referring to the infinite universe theory which says that in an infinite universe any possibility will be certain to happen. But the problem is the universe isn't really considered infinite. There is a finite amount of matter/energy and a finite amount of time.
Not according to Einstein's theories. Einstein proposes that more space can come into existence, and will in fact come into existence if empty space has dark energy that can propel objects away. If space has energy, and more space can be created, then more energy can be created.
Granted, that's just a theory, and assumes that there is infinite room for expansion, as opposed to merely moving matter and energy within a finite space. But then again, assuming that the universe and its amounts of matter and energy are finite is also just a theory. We haven't identified the finite boundaries of our universe, so stating that the universe is finite in both time and space is a theoretical assumption, just like stating that the universe is infinite in both time and space is a theoretical assumption.
There are also theories about alternate planes/branes in which different universes reside, and that these universes could be infinite in number, if not also space. Similarly, some scientists theorize that each black hole could contain a separate universe. Assuming that universe also has a black hole, the theory could lead to an infinite number of universes. Again, these are all theories, but my point was that there are scientific assumptions regarding the infinite nature of the universe, just as there are religious assumptions about the finite starting point of the universe.
Whether you assume time began at creation or big bang there is a definite start point. The end point is right now. I mean now? Is now now? You just missed it.
True...
if you assume there was a definite starting point. According to traditional theories of the conservation of mass/energy, matter can neither be created nor destroyed. So if matter can't be created, then there wasn't a starting point for its creation, and thus it must have always been present for an infinite amount of time. This is why the big bang was initially theorized not to be a one-time event that was the starting point, but a recurring event that continued for infinity. That has since been strongly doubted due to the theory of dark energy explaining why the universe is actually accelerating as opposed to slowing down, but was nonetheless a theory that many people believed (and some still believe).
But, if you assume Einstein's theory regarding the creation of space is correct, and thus that the creation of energy is possible, then the traditional conservation of energy theory wouldn't hold true. You could at that point argue that there was a definite starting point at which creation of all matter occurred, but it's still an assumption that relies on unverified theories. But then you have a conundrum in which energy can be created, yet you are also assuming that there is a finite amount of space. If there's a finite amount of space, then we can't create more energy or matter, but that's exactly what Einstein's theory regarding dark energy assumes.
Again, that's only one theory regarding dark energy and how it operates; there are tons of others. But the point is that some of the theories do tend to suggest that the universe is infinite, so I'm not of the opinion that we can definitely conclude that the universe is finite in time, space, or any other characteristic.
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