--- title: "Another Astronomer Says the Big Bang Might Not Have Happened" description: "New research suggests that the Big Bang theory could be off: some assumptions about the early unvierse don't match the actual data." date: "2020-01-09" modified: "2020-01-13" authors: - name: "Dan Robitzski" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/danrobitzski" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/astronomer-says-big-bang-not-happened" categories: - "Astrophysics" - "Big Bang" - "Science & Energy" - "Space" tags: - "big bang" - "space" - "the digest" --- # Another Astronomer Says the Big Bang Might Not Have Happened ![New research suggests that the Big Bang theory could be off: some assumptions about the early unvierse don't match the actual data.]() *\Image: Images via Pixabay/Victor Tangermann\* ## Challenger Approaches The idea that the Big Bang didn't happen — at least not the way most scientists assume — is gaining traction in academic circles. Eric Lerner, founder of Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, has been arguing against the notion of the Big Bang for decades, having [written a book]() on the subject in 1992. Now, *[Inverse ]()*[reports](), Lerner's latest research finds that there's a discrepancy between the theory and actual data scientists have observed. ## Alternative Ideas Lerner's study, which he presented Wednesday at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society, specifically challenges assumptions about how light elements like helium and lithium formed in the earliest days of the universe, according to *Inverse*. The Big Bang theory posits that the universe's oldest stars and galaxies churned out a massive quantity of those elements, which later fueled nuclear fusion reactions in newer stars. But Lerner found that ancient stars had half the helium and one-tenth the lithium they were expected to. ## Growing Traction There are myriad alternative hypotheses to the Big Bang theory, but so far none have risen to prominence, *Inverse* reports. But even if scientists disagree on what exactly happened, more seem to be challenging the field's dogma regarding origin of the universe. For instance, Nobel winner James Peebles [railed against]() the Big Bang theory in November: he accused scientists of accepting the theory because it's a convenient assumption, not because they have enough evidence to support it. **READ MORE:** [Did the Big Bang really happen? Scientist disputes universe's origin story]() \[*Inverse*\] **More on space:** *[Nobel-Winning Scientist: I Have No Idea if the Big Bang Happened]()* ## Author Dan Robitzki is a senior reporter for Futurism, where he likes to cover AI, tech ethics, and medicine. He spends his extra time fencing and streaming games from Los Angeles, California. ### Author social links [Twitter]()