--- title: "Most Precise Measurements of the Universe Suggest That Something Is Very Wrong" description: "Researchers have found that the universe is expanding at an entirely different rate than previously thought, a groundbreaking discovery." date: "2022-10-20" modified: "2022-10-20" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/precise-measurements-universe-wrong" categories: - "Physics" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "Astronomy" - "astrophysics" - "dark energy" - "expansion" --- # Most Precise Measurements of the Universe Suggest That Something Is Very Wrong ![Researchers have found that the universe is expanding at an entirely different rate than previously thought, a groundbreaking discovery.]() *\Image: NASA\* Researchers have found that the universe is expanding at an entirely different rate than previously thought, a groundbreaking discovery that could undermine our current understanding of the cosmos. In a [new paper]() published in *The Astrophysics Journal*, an international team of researchers studied the light emitted from 1,550 different supernovae — some near our own Milky Way and some located in the furthest reaches of the universe millions of light-years away — to study the composition and expansion rate of the universe. In doing so, their analysis dubbed Pantheon+ includes some of the most comprehensive measurements ever made. "With these Pantheon+ results," Dillon Brout, co-author and researcher at Harvard's Center for Astrophysics, [told *The* *Harvard Gazette*](), "we are able to put the most precise constraints on the dynamics and history of the universe to date." Excitingly, their findings corroborate some existing theories regarding [dark ]()[matter](), a mysterious yet abundant substance which scientists have yet to observe or measure directly, and dark energy, a hypothetical form of energy that behaves like the opposite of gravity. Their research posits that the entire universe is roughly made up of two-thirds dark energy and one-third matter, the latter of which is mostly made up of dark matter. "We've combed over the data," Brout continued, "and can now say with more confidence than ever before how the universe has evolved over the eons and that the current best theories for dark energy and dark matter hold strong." But at the same time, the study fails to remedy one of the greatest discrepancies in the field of astronomy: the Hubble tension, or the apparent mismatch between previous, locally-measured estimates of the universe's expansion rate and the measurement derived from the [cosmic microwave background](), electromagnetic remnants of the earliest known stages of the universe. The new research suggests the universe is expanding at roughly 160,000 miles per hour, while previous measurements that take the cosmic microwave background into account concluded it was expanding far slower than that. And while Pantheon+ may have confirmed the discrepancy, it didn't exactly provide any answers for it. "We thought it would be possible to find clues to a novel solution to these problems in our dataset," Brout told the *Harvard Gazette*, "but instead we're finding that our data rules out many of these options and that the profound discrepancies remain as stubborn as ever." "It certainly indicates," the researcher [told *Agence France-Presse*](), "that potentially something is fishy with our understanding of the universe." Clearly, Pantheon+ has opened more doors than it has closed. But that, in a way, is the beauty of the [scientific process]() — the research done by Brout and his team could still lay the groundwork for a number of future discoveries. "We, as scientists, thrive on not understanding everything," Brout continued to *AFP*. "There's still potentially a major revolution in our understanding, coming potentially in our lifetimes." **READ MORE:** *[Most precise accounting yet of dark energy and dark matter]()* \[*The Harvard Gazette*\] **More on astronomers being wrong about stuff:** *[Scientists Puzzled Because James Webb Is Seeing Stuff That Shouldn't Be There]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()