From a Certain Point of View

The generally accepted theory about the universe is that it is expanding. Everything expanded out from a central singularity in the “Big Bang” and formed galaxies, stars, etc. Since then, space itself has been expanding. On a local scale, gravity overcomes this expansion and we see no change. On the scale of galaxies which are too far apart to have gravitational influence on each other, they just get further and further apart. This causes the light they emit to “redshift” into low frequencies.

But what if the universe isn’t expanding? What if its something else? What if our universe works on a fundamentally different way than we are assuming?

One cosmologist has postulated a theory that instead of the universe expanding, it was actually gaining mass at the subatomic level. The theory is that atoms themselves have been gaining mass over the life of the universe. The mass of an atom affects the photons it emits. Photons emitted from older, lighter, atoms would also appear redshifted compared to photons emitted now. This would also explain the redshift seen from light coming from very distant galaxies.

There’s no way to test this theory since all mass is only measured relative to other things. If all things were getting more massive at the same rate there would be no way to tell. This theory has also not been peer-reviewed yet and while early reviews don’t find anything inherently wrong with the math, it could have gaping flaws no ones noticed yet.

But, all of that is secondary to the question it raised for me. This is the kind of theory that completely changes the way we understand the universe. On the same level as the theory that space itself was expanding. Or the idea that sun does not go around the Earth.

How often do we make assumptions that are just flat out wrong? Science seeks to avoid that tendency by having rigorous testing and debate. The fact that this theory, wrong or right, is being discussed speaks well to sciences success in that area. But overall, humans don’t react well to having their assumptions upended.

Our world only exists from our point of view. It’s hard to remember just what that means sometimes. That’s why it’s so hard to change people’s minds about anything fundamental. But maybe we should all strive to be a little more like science. Because maybe, just maybe, the universe doesn’t work the way we think it does.