There is no “settled science” when it comes to cosmology.
Keep trying.
Most of theoretical physics is just that; theoretical. Thus far there is no conclusive experimental proof to confirm the big bang theory or even the actual existence of black holes. Nevertheless still very fascinating speculations.
It “could” be a billion-fold older than 13.8 billion years.
It’s 13.8 currently because some formula (remember glowbull warming models) theorizes it must be.
Money quote: The “tension” reminds scientists of just how much they still don’t understand about the underlying laws of nature. This is what science is once the egos and agendas are pulled off the table. A faint breath of honesty is refreshing.
I am feeling younger now.
Well, what’s the consensus and which side are the deniers so we can get on with the hangings?
Man’s science is flawed. I’m not a scientist, but I can tell you when the universe was created, Genesis chapter 1.
So, does this mean the universe isn’t/might not be accelerating in its expansion or is it another topic altogether? At least these scientists realize that once they have enough data, old ‘constants” may not be what they originally thought and they work hard to get a little closer with each regeneration of theories (and maybe even theorems if applicable)...
Dark Matter is the Mind of God, ever present yet unknowable, by inference, the root of all existence, expanding, and with it space itself, to limits unfathomable.
Here we sit with our toys and trinkets, seeking some knowledge that ever escapes our chicken bones and tea leaves. We believe in our wisdom but have none, none, that is, but for one salient factoid,
God is Great and God is Love. All else is foppery. Oh, yes, and one more thing. God hates foppery.
Small means expanding slower? Does that mean that the expansion is slow enough that the universe is closed, that is, that gravity will win and the universe will eventually collapse back on itself in a Big Crunch?
Does that the need for dark matter/dark energy is reduced or eliminated?
“If all the numbers are correct, then the problem must run deeper. It must lie in our interpretation of those numbers — that is, in our fundamental models of how the universe works.”
General relativity is bunk, and so is all that follows from it. Until they get past this they will never have numbers that add up absent fraud.
The Peculiar Blindness of Experts
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/how-to-predict-the-future/588040/
Just Damn!
A billion years here, a billion years there, pretty soon you’re talking about a significant amount of time!
The massively ignorant and haters of science will interpret this as a victory for themselves.
Take your vitamin pill and you’ll stay young too