Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

New Theory Suggests Dark Energy Could Trigger Big Crunch

11/16/2025

45 6

Summary

Story summary

A Cornell University team led by S.-H. Henry Tye proposes that dark energy evolves and could cause a Big Crunch in about 20 billion years.
The researchers say ultralight axions could drive this evolution of dark energy.
The model contradicts the Big Freeze by suggesting gravity may eventually dominate.
Current data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) are cited as supporting this theory.

1 of 1

Story summary

A Cornell University team led by S.-H. Henry Tye proposes that dark energy evolves and could cause a Big Crunch in about 20 billion years.
The researchers say ultralight axions could drive this evolution of dark energy.
The model contradicts the Big Freeze by suggesting gravity may eventually dominate.
Current data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) and the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) are cited as supporting this theory.