Scientists claim the universe is twice as old as believed

A University of Ottawa team proposes that the universe is 26.7 billion years old - nearly twice the age estimated by standard cosmology - and that cosmic evolution can be explained without dark matter or dark energy. Physicist Rajendra Gupta and researcher Nikolaos Samaras developed a framework called CCC+TL, which combines changing physical constants with “tired light”: the idea that light gradually loses energy while traveling through space. In their account, light from distant objects has taken longer to arrive than standard models assume, making the cosmos older. The framework also changes how gravity and expansion are described.

The researchers say computer tests show CCC+TL reproduces the observed amounts of hydrogen and helium formed in the Big Bang and matches the universe’s expansion history without dark energy. They also report that it accounts for the motion of stars and gas in 175 galaxies, a phenomenon commonly explained using dark matter. A longer cosmic timescale could additionally resolve the James Webb Space Telescope’s discovery of apparently mature galaxies in the early universe, by giving them more time to develop. The proposal remains outside mainstream cosmology: some work is still under review, and the prevailing model continues to explain a broad range of observations. Independent tests, including future Webb observations of very distant galaxies, will be important in assessing the alternative.