Oops! Bye Bye Everything.

Astronomers may have unwittingly hastened the end of the Universe by simply looking at it, according to a theory reported in the latest edition of New Scientist.

…The energy shift from the decay would destroy everything in the universe, “wiping the slate clean”.

…Measurements of light from supernovae in 1998 that provided the first evidence of dark energy may have reset the decay clock of the “false vacuum” back to zero, back before the switching point and to a time when the risk of catastrophic decay was greater than now. “Incredible as it seems, our detection of the dark energy may have reduced the life expectancy of the universe. We may have snatched away the possibility of long-term survival for our universe and made it more likely it will decay.” The claim is contested by other astrophysicists: “The fact that we are still here means this can’t have happened yet.”

Even when scientists know they could end it all (like creating mini black holes in labs, or nanotechnology), they can’t help themselves – they’re addicted to discovery!

More at the Herald Sun

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