Dark-matter-free model of a 26.7-billion-year-old universe passes key tests

· Science · Canada

An alternative cosmology in which the universe is 26.7 billion years old and requires neither dark matter nor dark energy has held up against several major tests, according to a University of Ottawa study published under the title "A Big Bang Nucleosynthesis Consistency Test of the CCC+TL Cosmology." The model, known as CCC+TL, was checked against big bang nucleosynthesis, the framework that predicts the primordial abundances of light elements. The work does not overturn the standard model, which relies on dark matter and dark energy, but adds to the small body of alternatives claiming to match observations without them. Independent checks are the next step.

Why it matters：The standard cosmological model rests on two components nobody has directly detected, so any alternative that survives precision tests is significant even if it remains far from displacing the consensus.

Key points

  • The model puts the universe's age at 26.7 billion years.
  • It was tested against predictions of primordial light-element abundances.
  • The standard model still relies on dark matter and dark energy.

Sources (original reporting)

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