For decades, scientists believed dark energy—the mysterious force pushing the universe apart—was constant. But what if it’s fading?
What if the cosmos isn’t destined for an eternal freeze but could one day collapse in a fiery “big crunch”?
New research from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) suggests that dark energy, which makes up 70% of the universe, may have peaked billions of years ago.
Scientists now believe it could be weakening.
If true, this discovery could flip our understanding of the universe on its head.
“What we’re finding is that, yes, there is something pushing galaxies apart, but it’s not constant. It’s declining,” says cosmologist Prof. Carlos Frenk.
This Mean’s The Universe’s Fate Is Still Unwritten?
In other words, dark energy is still accelerating the expansion of space—but it’s easing off the gas.
The findings, based on 15 million galaxies spanning 11 billion years, aren’t yet a slam dunk. But many experts are convinced.
“We’re witnessing the overthrow of the old paradigm,” Frenk adds.
Could the cosmos reverse course and collapse? Scientists don’t have all the answers—yet.
But as Prof. Ofer Lahav puts it, “For 20 years, we’ve been stuck with dark energy now Physicists have new questions.”
And in science, new questions mean new possibilities.
