Do We Live In a Giant Cosmic Bubble?

Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday October 1, 2008 @03:20AM from the i-live-in-my-own-universe dept.

Khemisty writes "Earth may be trapped in an abnormal bubble of space-time that is particularly void of matter. Scientists say this condition could account for the apparent acceleration of the universe's expansion, for which dark energy currently is the leading explanation. Until now, there has been no good way to choose between dark energy or the void explanation, but a new study outlines a potential test of the bubble scenario. If we were in an unusually sparse area of the universe, then things could look farther away than they really are and there would be no need to rely on dark energy as an explanation for certain astronomical observations. 'If we lived in a very large under-density, then the space-time itself wouldn't be accelerating,' said researcher Timothy Clifton of Oxford University in England. 'It would just be that the observations, if interpreted in the usual way, would look like they were.'"

3 of 344 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

I live in San Francisco by josepha48 · 2008-10-01 03:54 · Score: 0, Offtopic

.. so YES!
ROTFLOL

--
Only 'flamers' flame!
Does slashdot hate my posts?
Bad man kicked Baxter! by Gilmoure · 2008-10-01 05:49 · Score: 0, Offtopic

I'm in a glass box of emotion!

--
I drank what? -- Socrates
We're trapped in a warp storm... by mahsah · 2008-10-01 07:35 · Score: 1, Offtopic

In time, the Emperor of Mankind will lead us out of it.