Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument


What happened
An international consortium of scientists studying dark energy said Tuesday their three-dimensional map of the universe over 11 billion years suggested the cosmos wasn't steadily expanding, but acting more like Albert Einstein predicted in his 1915 general theory of relativity.
Who said what
Cosmologists since 1998 have theorized that a mysterious invisible force dubbed dark energy was pushing the universe apart at an ever-faster rate. Scientists gathering and studying data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) at Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona found it "may not be an unchangeable force," Reuters said.
"Dark energy seems to be dynamical and weakening," said astrophysicist Mustapha Ishak-Boushaki of the University of Texas at Dallas, a leader of the DESI working group. The "strong hint" that the universe need not be "accelerating forever in its expansion" is the "most important finding since the discovery of cosmic acceleration in 1998." Scientists still don't understand dark energy — believed to make up 68% of the universe, versus just 5% for everything visible and tangle — but the DESI findings that it's "changing or weakening over time" would "upend astronomers' standard cosmological model," The Associated Press said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The "new findings aren't definitive," and astronomers need "more data to overturn a theory that seemed to fit together so well" — but "there's a lot riding on the answer," the AP said. If dark energy is constant, the universe will continue to expand, "forever getting colder and emptier," and if it's strengthening, "the universe will expand so speedily that it'll destroy itself in what astronomers call the Big Rip." That wouldn't happen "for billions of years," astrophysicist David Spergel said to the AP. "But we'd like to know about it."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
With Dick Durbin’s retirement, where do Democrats go from here?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The number two Senate Democrat's pending departure is a pivotal moment for a party looking for leadership in the second Trump administration
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
6 peaceful homes in farm country
Feature Featuring a two-story solarium in California and a three-season screened porch in Wisconsin
By The Week US
-
5 'slow TV' shows for overstimulated kids
The Week Recommends In an era of fast-paced content and short attention spans, the slow TV movement can be a boon to parents
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
How to see the Lyrid meteor shower
The explainer A nice time to look to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Scientists find hint of alien life on distant world
Speed Read NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected a possible signature of life on planet K2-18b
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Full moon calendar: dates and times for every full moon this year
In depth When to see the lunar phenomenon every month
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Katy Perry, Gayle King visit space on Bezos rocket
Speed Read Six well-known women went into lower orbit for 11 minutes
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists map miles of wiring in mouse brain
Speed Read Researchers have created the 'largest and most detailed wiring diagram of a mammalian brain to date,' said Nature
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Scientists genetically revive extinct 'dire wolves'
Speed Read A 'de-extinction' company has revived the species made popular by HBO's 'Game of Thrones'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Space ads could be coming to a sky near you
Under the radar Making space for commercial profits
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US