Theory predicting an older Universe passes key cosmological tests

The CCC+TL cosmological model, developed by University of Ottawa physicist Rajendra Gupta and researcher Nikolaos Samaras, proposes that changing fundamental constants - not dark matter and dark energy - account for effects those unseen components are used to explain. It modifies the equations describing gravity and cosmic expansion and estimates the Universe is 26.7 billion years old, rather than roughly 13.8 billion years under the standard ΛCDM model. The researchers built new equations and computer code to test it against observations. Their calculations reproduce the observed abundances of light elements formed after the Big Bang and agree with cosmic-chronometer estimates of expansion. In a study of 175 galaxies in the SPARC database, the model also reproduced galaxy rotation curves without dark matter.

The model offers a way to explain unexpectedly mature galaxies observed in the early Universe: at the same redshift as cosmic dawn, it estimates the Universe was 4.6 billion years old, compared with 300 million years under ΛCDM, allowing more time for galaxies to grow. Its predicted early galaxies are about 12 times larger and more massive, and future James Webb Space Telescope observations at very high redshifts could test this claim. Separate work on supernova time dilation supports the model but remains under review; its proposed explanation of the Bullet Cluster’s gravitational effects is described as an early proof of concept requiring further study. The researchers argue these results justify broader investigation, while acknowledging that applying the model is challenging.