“While leaving physical measurements unaffected, this can offer a reinterpretation and even solutions of these problems.” “A less radical approach to venturing beyond the standard model is the simple mathematical reformulation of our theoretical frameworks underlying it,” University of Geneva professor Lucas Lombriser writes in the paper. The results of the study were published in the journal Classical and Quantum Gravity earlier this month. Because predictions using the cosmological constant differ so much from observed phenomena, some scientists refer to it as “the worst prediction in the history of physics,” according to Live Science.īut new research from a scientist at the University of Geneva goes back to the drawing board, and instead proposes the idea that our perception of the universe is little more than mirage caused by the evolution of protons and electrons over time.

Chief among them is the cosmological constant, which is essentially the mathematical equivalent of dark energy. In recent decades, scientists have also determined that the universe isn’t just expanding-that expansion is accelerating.īut this (pretty convincing) hypothesis of an expanding universe comes with a few conundrums. It’s no secret that physicists and astronomers believe the universe is expanding, largely because of the redshift of distant galaxies as compared to ones closer to home. Is the Expansion of the Universe Just a Mirage? Javier Zayas Photography - Getty Imagesįor decades, scientists have discerned that the universe is not only expanding, but accelerating.īut this evidence doesn’t always square with models, throws flags with things like the cosmological constant, and makes explanations like dark energy necessaryĪ new paper from a researcher at the University of Geneva goes back to the drawing board and proposes a new idea-that our perception of an expanding universe could be a mirage.

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