Scientists claim the universe is twice as old as believed

The universe could be 26.7 billion years old, almost twice as old as scientists generally believe, according to a researcher at the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) who says his model also works without dark matter or dark energy. Rajendra Gupta, an adjunct professor of physics, and postdoctoral researcher Nikolaos Samaras have spent much of the past two years checking their model, known as CCC+TL (Covarying Coupling Constants plus Tired Light), against major astronomical observations. Instead of relying on undetected dark matter and dark energy to explain the cosmos, CCC+TL modifies the laws of gravity and cosmic expansion by proposing that physical constants slowly shift over time and that light loses energy as it travels across space, meaning distant light took far longer to reach us, extending the universe’s estimated age to 26.7 billion years per the model. “Most emerging models explain only a limited set of observations,” Gupta said in a statement. “A new model must not conflict with the pillars of cosmology and astrophysics, and our findings meet that challenge, including the yet-to-be-published Cosmic Microwave Background challenge.” Putting the theory to the test In computer simulations testing the framework, the researchers found that their model accurately predicted the observed abundance of hydrogen and helium created in the Big Bang, while also matching the universe’s historical expansion rate without requiring dark energy. In a study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the team reported that their model could also explain how stars and gas orbit in 175 galaxies, something that has long been one of the main arguments for dark matter. The model could also help with a puzzle raised by the James Webb Space Telescope, which has found galaxies that seem far too big and developed for how early in the universe’s history they appear. If the universe is older, those galaxies would simply have had more time to grow. “The success should encourage astronomers to take the new model seriously,” Gupta noted. “It is challenging to understand and apply, but we believe it extends the physics of the Universe beyond ΛCDM limits.” The idea is still well outside the mainstream. Some of the team’s work is still under review, and the standard model continues to explain a wide range of observations, so other scientists will need to test the findings independently. Upcoming Webb observations that search for even more distant galaxies could help. Sources : uOttawa , Monthly Notices , MDPI , Science Daily