English 
Spanish 
3 min read
0 comments
Researchers suggest the universe could be up to 26,7 billion years old, twice the age currently estimated, challenging established concepts in modern cosmology.
A study led by Rajendra Gupta, a physics professor at the University of Ottawa, has proposed a bold new idea: the universe may be twice as old as scientists currently believe. Published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, the study suggests that the universe would be 26,7 billion years old, rather than the widely accepted 13,8 billion.
Gupta's proposal is not just a crunch of numbers. It offers a possible solution to astronomical mysteries that have puzzled scientists for years, such as mature galaxies observed shortly after the Big Bang and stars that appear older than the universe itself.
Origin of the Age of the Universe: A 13,8 Billion Year History
For decades, scientists have used the study of distant stars and the redshift of their light to calculate the age of the universe. According to the standard model, known as Lambda-CDM, the universe would have emerged 13,8 billion years ago.
- How Nokia rose from the ashes and now makes an impressive $24 billion a year
- Lawyer Mark Lemley parts ways with Meta over claims of Mark Zuckerberg's 'toxic sexism and neo-Nazi madness'!
- Solar panels are revolutionizing: Jackets and umbrellas with perovskites are the future of portable energy
- MIT scientists amaze the world with a filter that captures aluminum waste, marking a giant step towards advanced recycling and a sustainable future!
However, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) brought new challenges to this model. JWST detected extremely mature galaxies just 300 million years after the Big Bang.
These galaxies exhibit mass and structure associated with billions of years of evolution, something that is difficult to explain by current theories. Furthermore, stars like Methuselah appear to be older than the universe itself, further complicating cosmic timelines.
The “Tired Light” theory revives the debate
To address these anomalies, Gupta revisited the controversial “tired light” theory proposed by astronomer Fritz Zwicky in the 1920s. This theory suggests that light loses energy as it travels long distances, causing it to redshift.
Although it has been ruled out by more recent observational data, Gupta proposes a hybrid model. It combines the idea of “tired light” with the concept of an expanding universe. In this model, the redshift occurs both due to the loss of energy of photons and due to cosmic expansion, offering a broader explanation for the observed phenomena.
Evolving Constants: A New Perspective
Another fundamental point of Gupta's theory involves the so-called “coupling constants“, which govern interactions between particles. Based on an idea by theoretical physicist Paul Dirac, Gupta suggests that these constants can change over time.
If coupling constants evolve, this would allow extending the time scale required for galaxy formation.
This would explain why the galaxies detected by JWST are so mature, even though they appear early in the universe's timeline.
Revisiting Dark Energy and Accelerated Expansion
Gupta's study also challenges the interpretation of the cosmological constant, associated with dark energy, which drives the accelerated expansion of the universe. He suggests that, rather than being fixed, this constant may be linked to the evolution of coupling constants.
This new approach helps explain the surprisingly small sizes of early galaxies and provides a more flexible framework for understanding the expansion and evolution of the universe.
Implications for the future of astronomy
If Gupta's theories are confirmed, it could revolutionize our understanding of the cosmos. A 26,7 billion-year age for the universe not only rewrites cosmic history, but also answers puzzles that have puzzled science for decades.
Future research will be essential to validate or refute this proposal, but Gupta's work already establishes a basis for exploring new directions in the study of the origin and evolution of the universe.
