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Is everything we know about the universe wrong?

How ‘dark energy’, the mysterious force powering the expansion of the universe, seems to be changing in a very unexpected way – and what this means for the fate of the cosmos.

For the last week or so, the world of physics has had just one conversation.

Have we found a new way of understanding the universe? And if so, what does this mean for our understanding of how we all came to exist – and even our fate?

These big questions were prompted by new data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument team at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona. To explain what was found, whether it’s right and just how excited we should be, we’re joined by astrophysics professor Catherine Heymans and cosmologist Andrew Pontzen.

Also this week, what became of the Winchcombe meteorite? We attempt to explain some seriously advanced maths in less than two minutes, and Penny Sarchet from the New Scientist brings us her picks of the week’s science news.

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producers: Gerry Holt, Ella Hubber & Sophie Ormiston
Reporter: Gareth Mitchell
Editor: Martin Smith
Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth

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30 minutes

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