May 14, 2020,10:00pm EDT

Is It Time To Dethrone The Big Bang Theory?
Jamie CarterSenior Contributor

Science
I write about science and nature, technology and travel, stargazing and eclipses.
Do you understand enough about the Big Bang theory to challenge it?
Do you understand enough about the Big Bang theory[+]

In cosmology, the Big Bang theory is king. It wasn’t always that way, but over the years the evidence has mounted and, for the most part, astronomers are convinced it’s the best we have.

So why do many people hate it? Black holes, invisible dark matter and the idea of the cosmos being born in a millisecond defy plain common sense.

The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang) By Luke A. Barnes and Geraint F. Lewis
The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook (Or: How to[+]
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS

Frustrated by people telling them how to do their job, two astronomers set-out to answer the questions and criticism they are so frequently sent. The result is The Cosmic Revolutionary’s Handbook (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang), which sets out exactly what any Big Bang theory-hater needs to explain before a new theory can even begin to take hold.

“As cosmologists, our job is to explain the Universe as a whole—it’s structure, constituents and evolution,” said Dr Luke A. Barnes is a postdoctoral researcher at Western Sydney University. “People email us with their ideas about how the Universe works, and while we love their enthusiasm, we found ourselves sending the same kind of reply over and over again.”

In the book Barnes and colleague Professor Geraint F. Lewis, Professor of Astrophysics at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, part of the University of Sydney’s School of Physics, explain that while science isn’t perfect, nor is it arbitrary.

The result is a plan for overthrowing the Big Bang theory, which details exactly what any challenger needs to explain before proposing a new kind of theory.

“The point of the book is that the Big Bang theory has a solid track record of explaining well-established facts about the Universe,” said Barnes. “If you want to challenge the Big Bang theory, you’d better be able to explain the basics before you have a shot at explaining mysteries like dark matter.”

[forbes.com]