There's a basic property of the universe called the cosmological constant, but what if it's not really a constant?

It really would turn everything upside down as we know it in a lot of good ways and in some not so good ways from the perspective of a cosmologist.

It's Tuesday, May 21st, the birthday of the philosopher Plato, paleontologist Mary Annning. the

birthday of the philosopher Plato, paleontologist Mary Annning, and actor Mr. T.

And I pity the fool not listening to Science Friday.

I'm Sci-Fi producer Charles Berquist. Cosmologists use a force called dark energy

to explain why the expansion of the universe continues to accelerate. But new data suggests it's possible that

dark energy may not be the same everywhere in space and time.

Ira Flato talks with Dr. Dylan Brout about that analysis and what it would mean if it's correct.

One of the more head-scratching things about the universe is the concept of dark energy. We know that the universe is expanse. is

expanding, expanding, but what's more that expansion is speeding up.

Convention on wisdom used to be that it should be slowing down,

but no more, and that's been attributed to this

mysterious force called dark energy. The energy itself has been represented by a number, a

constant called the cosmological constant. But what if that cosmological

constant isn't really a constant? What if the force varies over time? Recent data presented by a group called

DESE, the dark energy spectroscopic instrument, says that possibly dark

energy may, and we emphasize may, may be evolving over time and that would be a big deal.

Joining me now to talk about that is Dylan Brout, assistant professor of astronomy at

Boston University and part of the Desi Collaboration.

Welcome to Science Friday Dr. Brown.

Pleasure to be here.

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