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Dark forces hinder the growth of the Universe

Researchers studied dark matter's potential additional attractive force and found it suppresses structure growth, contrary to expectations. The extra clustering effect is counterbalanced by a decrease in dark matter particles' mass over time, reducing the overall impact on cosmic microwave background observations.

SourceSissa Medialab·JournalJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 22, 2026

Universe's expansion 'is now slowing, not speeding up'

A new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that the universe's expansion may have started to slow rather than accelerate at an ever-increasing rate. The findings cast doubt on the long-standing theory of dark energy, which is believed to be driving distant galaxies away increasingly faster.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·DateNov 5, 2025

Dark energy 'doesn’t exist' so can't be pushing 'lumpy' Universe apart – study

A team of physicists and astronomers found that the Universe is expanding in a more varied way than previously thought, making dark energy unnecessary. The new evidence supports the timescape model of cosmic expansion, which attributes differences in stretching light to calibration issues rather than dark energy.

SourceRoyal Astronomical Society·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Letters·DateDec 20, 2024

Technical Trials for Easing the (Cosmological) Tension

A new study has sorted through models attempting to solve the cosmological tension, a discrepancy between two ways of calculating the universe's expansion. Three models that were previously viable solutions were excluded by the new data, while others reduced the tension but not solved it.

SourceSissa Medialab·JournalJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateApr 19, 2024

A new possible explanation for the Hubble tension

Researchers from Universities of Bonn and St. Andrews propose an alternative theory of gravity as the cause of the discrepancy in measured values of the Hubble-Lemaitre constant. This 'modified Newtonian dynamics' (MOND) theory predicts the existence of regions with lower matter density, which would explain the observed deviations.

SourceUniversity of Bonn·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateDec 1, 2023

Biggest ever supercomputer simulation to investigate Universe’s evolution

Researchers have carried out the largest ever computer simulations to investigate the Universe's evolution, taking into account ordinary matter and dark energy. The FLAMINGO simulations provide a detailed picture of virtual galaxies and galaxy clusters, allowing for comparisons with observations from new high-powered telescopes.

SourceDurham University·JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateOct 24, 2023

Dark matter halos measured around ancient quasars

A team of researchers from the University of Tokyo has measured dark matter halo masses around ancient quasars, finding a consistent mass of about 10 trillion times the mass of our sun. This discovery suggests a characteristic DMH mass that activates quasars regardless of time period.

SourceUniversity of Tokyo·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeObservational study·DateSep 11, 2023

Astrophysicists propose a new way of measuring cosmic expansion: lensed gravitational waves

Researchers propose using lensed gravitational waves from binary black holes to measure cosmic expansion. The method uses the delays between repeat appearances of these signals to encode the universe's expansion rate. This approach does not rely on knowing the exact locations or distances of binary black holes, making it a promising to...

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateJun 30, 2023

1st observational evidence linking black holes to dark energy

A team of researchers has discovered evidence of 'cosmological coupling' between black holes and the universe's expanding energy. By studying supermassive black holes in ancient galaxies, they found that these black holes gain mass over billions of years, matching predictions for black holes that cosmologically couple with vacuum energy.

SourceUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal Letters·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 15, 2023

HETDEX reveals galaxy gold mine in first large survey

Astronomers have cataloged over 51,863 Lyman-alpha-emitting galaxies, 123,891 star-forming galaxies, and 4,976 active galactic nuclei using HETDEX's spectroscopic data. The survey is a non-targeted, moon-sized survey that collects spectra from 35,000 fiber optic cables, providing a unique dataset for future galaxy mapping.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin, Texas Advanced Computing Center·JournalThe Astrophysical Journal·TypeExperimental study·DateFeb 9, 2023

Do ‘bouncing universes’ have a beginning?

A new study by University at Buffalo physicists Will Kinney and Nina Stein reveals that the latest cyclic model introduces a new problem: the universe must have a beginning. This finding contradicts previous theories, which aimed to address entropy concerns by proposing endless cycles of expansion and contraction.

SourceUniversity at Buffalo·JournalJournal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics·DateAug 9, 2022

Using holograms to illuminate de Sitter space

Scientists at Kyoto University propose a novel approach using holograms to approximate the universe's expansion in de Sitter space. The model uses conformal field theory and a positive integer for the cosmological constant, enabling the identification of the first example of two-dimensional CFT.

SourceKyoto University·JournalPhysical Review Letters·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJul 19, 2022

A forgotten model of the universe

A 1931 paper by Albert Einstein featuring a dynamic model of the universe has been re-examined, highlighting numerical errors and questionable calculations. The model, which includes a contraction phase, contrasts with the widely known expanding Einstein-de Sitter model.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal H·DateFeb 19, 2014