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🗞️ Driving the news: New findings from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) suggest that dark energy — long thought to be constant — may be evolving over time
• The analysis of 15 million galaxies and quasars indicates a potential weakening of dark energy’s influence, challenging existing models of cosmic expansion
• If confirmed, this could profoundly alter our understanding of the universe’s future trajectory
🔭 The context: Dark energy is believed to drive the accelerated expansion of the universe and accounts for roughly 70% of its total energy
• The DESI survey, using a telescope in Arizona, is creating the largest 3D map of the cosmos by measuring how light from distant galaxies has travelled over 11 billion years
• These results show growing tension between early-universe and late-universe measurements, suggesting our standard model may need revision
🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Understanding dark energy is central to cosmology and may unlock new physics governing the universe’s evolution
• Changes in its behaviour could eventually shift the fate of the universe — slowing expansion or even reversing it in the distant future
• As humans confront planetary crises, such discoveries highlight how deeply interconnected our knowledge is with the broader cosmos
⏭️ What's next: DESI will continue collecting data through 2026, while upcoming missions like the Vera Rubin Observatory, Euclid, and the Roman Space Telescope will provide further evidence
• Scientists aim to confirm whether dark energy is evolving and, if so, determine how it functions
• This may mark the beginning of a shift toward a more complex, revised model of cosmology
💬 One quote: “These new measurements offer the strongest evidence so far that dark energy evolves, which would be another mind-blowing change to our understanding of how the universe works,” — David Weinberg, Professor of Astronomy, Ohio State University
📈 One stat: DESI’s new data release includes measurements of 15 million galaxies and quasars, doubling previous survey results
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