Dark Energy's Demise? A New Cosmology Suggests Time Itself is to Blame

A new study challenges the standard model of cosmology, ΛCDM, which relies on the existence of dark energy and dark matter. The alternative 'timescape cosmology' proposes that time flows at different rates in different regions of the universe, creating the illusion of accelerated expansion. Analyzing over 1,500 Type Ia supernovae, researchers found timescape cosmology provides a better fit to observations than ΛCDM. This suggests a potential need to rethink the foundations of cosmology; dark energy might be a misinterpretation of non-uniform expansion rates.