Mathematicians challenge dark energy and say that Einstein's equations can explain the accelerated expansion of the universe without a new mysterious force.

Mathematicians challenge dark energy and say that Einstein’s equations can explain the accelerated expansion of the universe without a new mysterious force.

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 01/06/2026 at 20:18

Be the first to react!

Article by mathematicians from the University of California, Davis, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A, questions dark energy by pointing out instabilities in Friedmann space-times and in the Lambda-cold dark matter model, the basis of the standard cosmology used to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe

Study by mathematicians from the University of California, Davis, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A, questions the need for dark energy to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe and points out instabilities in the Friedmann models used by standard cosmology.

Dark energy, used for almost 30 years to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe, has been challenged by mathematicians from the University of California, Davis, in an article published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A.

Dark energy and the standard model

The study questions the Lambda-cold dark matter model, the basis of the Big Bang in current cosmology. Blake Temple, emeritus professor at UC Davis and corresponding author, states that the calculations indicate instabilities in the Einstein-Euler equations.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Expansion without cosmological constant

The cosmological constant appeared in Albert Einstein’s equations in 1915, when he was seeking a static universe. After the discovery of expansion by Edwin Hubble in 1929, Einstein abandoned this idea, which was revisited in the 1990s.

Temple and colleagues argue that acceleration can arise directly from the Einstein-Euler equations, without introducing dark energy. The group used a self-similar version of the Einstein equations to analyze the stability of the Friedmann models.

The article states that Friedmann spacetimes are unstable to radial perturbations on large scales, with or without dark energy. According to the authors, this casts doubt on the viability of the Lambda-cold dark matter model.

What changes in the reading of the universe

The calculations reignite the debate about the Copernican principle, which holds that Earth does not occupy a special position in the universe. Temple states that both the standard model and a spherically symmetric spacetime require a special place to be plausible.

More information at royalsocietypublishing.

Mathematicians challenge dark energy and say that Einstein’s equations can explain the accelerated expansion of the universe without a new mysterious force.

Dark energy and the standard model

Expansion without cosmological constant

What changes in the reading of the universe

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

Scientists have discovered that the Earth recycles its own continents in the depths, dragging pieces of crust down during plate collisions and returning them later as magma, in a mechanism called relamination that has helped build the continents for billions of years.

Turkey is building a billion-dollar shortcut to channel billions of dollars by sea with a 45 km long canal, 275 meters wide and 20.75 meters deep, which promises to relieve the Bosphorus amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

Salvador puts its VLT into operation, a rail system that promises to change the way the Bahian capital moves after years of waiting.

Amazon rattlesnake uses sophisticated sound trick to deceive the human brain and make any threat believe it is much closer.

The largest port in SC will invest R$ 12.5 million in two new lanes on BR-280 to ease truck access, reduce bottlenecks, and wear on the asphalt, in a 1.4 km project expected to be completed within 10 months after commencement.

Tons of beer bagasse left over from production are transformed into lightweight construction panels with corn starch, can replace traditional plant materials, and reduce industrial waste in cities.

While showcasing bullet trains traveling at over 300 km/h, China maintains about 81 slow train lines that travel at 40 km/h, charge less than R$ 2 for a ticket, and cross remote villages carrying residents, students, and even chickens and vegetables to the market.

Mathematicians challenge dark energy and say that Einstein’s equations can explain the accelerated expansion of the universe without a new mysterious force.

Dark energy and the standard model

Expansion without cosmological constant

What changes in the reading of the universe

A giant printer called the “Ferrari” of concrete has landed in Latin America and can already build a 120-square-meter house in just 48 hours, making the traditional construction site look like something from the last century.

Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt has ceased to be a climatic phenomenon and has become a biological system that feeds on itself, with 8,000 kilometers in length, 37 million tons of algae, and scientists confirm that it is now permanent.

Brazil will harvest a record crop of up to 357 million tons of grains, but it does not have the capacity to store a large part of it. The storage deficit has reached the highest level in history and is equivalent to almost the entire production of Argentina.

Under nearly 2 kilometers of ice in Antarctica, scientists have discovered an ancient landscape sculpted by rivers up to 60 million years ago, the size of Wales, preserved as a time capsule that could help predict the advance of ice towards the ocean.

Scientists have discovered that the Earth recycles its own continents in the depths, dragging pieces of crust down during plate collisions and returning them later as magma, in a mechanism called relamination that has helped build the continents for billions of years.

Turkey is building a billion-dollar shortcut to channel billions of dollars by sea with a 45 km long canal, 275 meters wide and 20.75 meters deep, which promises to relieve the Bosphorus amid the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz.

Amazon rattlesnake uses sophisticated sound trick to deceive the human brain and make any threat believe it is much closer.

While traditional ceramics require kilns at a thousand degrees and high energy consumption, a British startup transforms discarded plaster into tiles at 35 degrees and closes a pilot with a historic manufacturer in the United Kingdom.

They live in a hidden paradise among the mountains of Minas and have transformed a small property into a rare refuge with artisanal cheese, grapes, waterfalls, horses, and a life story that moved the internet.

Under about 6 meters of sand and rocks on the coast of Sicily, archaeologists found a 2,500-year-old shipwreck with ancient anchors, clues of Greek trade routes, and a submerged capsule of the Mediterranean before Rome dominated the sea.

Government promises to destroy driver’s licenses and a decision involving more than 28,000 documents at the Detran, potentially affecting thousands of drivers as an unexpected consequence that almost no one is noticing.

Salvador puts its VLT into operation, a rail system that promises to change the way the Bahian capital moves after years of waiting.

Amazon rattlesnake uses sophisticated sound trick to deceive the human brain and make any threat believe it is much closer.

The largest port in SC will invest R$ 12.5 million in two new lanes on BR-280 to ease truck access, reduce bottlenecks, and wear on the asphalt, in a 1.4 km project expected to be completed within 10 months after commencement.

Tons of beer bagasse left over from production are transformed into lightweight construction panels with corn starch, can replace traditional plant materials, and reduce industrial waste in cities.

While showcasing bullet trains traveling at over 300 km/h, China maintains about 81 slow train lines that travel at 40 km/h, charge less than R$ 2 for a ticket, and cross remote villages carrying residents, students, and even chickens and vegetables to the market.