Scientists Uncover the Secret Past of the Universe Before the Big Bang to Challenge Old Beliefs

The State of the Universe Before the Big Bang

The Big Bang was accepted as the origin of the universe for a long time, but a new study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics challenged this notion and suggested that the universe had a 'secret life' before the Big Bang event. Curiosity about what existed before the Big Bang transformed the understanding of scientists about time, space, and the universe, and astronomers saw it as a gateway to uncovering the universe's hidden past and possible cycles of its creation and destruction.

The True Origin of the Universe

For a long time, scientists believed that the Big Bang was the trigger for the formation of the universe. According to this theory, the universe emerged from a very hot and dense point called a 'singularity' around 13.8 billion years ago. When this point exploded, it created the concepts of time, space, and matter, allowing the universe to expand, as reported by Space.com . The Big Bang theory was supported by strong evidence, such as cosmic microwave background radiation (energy left from the explosion). Many scientists also pointed out how galaxies were moving apart to show that the universe was still expanding.

New Research Raises Question

Recent research suggested that dark matter might have been made up of black holes formed during the universe's last contraction phase, which occurred before the Big Bang. Knewz.com explored the findings that were published in June in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. Patrick Peter, director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Live Science , "Small primordial black holes could have been produced during the very early stages of the universe, and if they were not too small, their decay due to Hawking radiation [a hypothetical phenomenon where black holes emit particles due to quantum effects] would not have been efficient enough to eliminate them, so they might still have been around today."

Using Advanced Telescopes for Tests

To test their universe model, scientists used new gravitational wave observatories like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) and the Einstein Telescope. The researchers claimed that if these observatories detected the waves, it could confirm that primordial black holes were dark matter. Peter told Business Standard , "This work was important because it provided a natural way of forming small yet still-present black holes as dark matter in a framework that wasn’t based on inflation. Other studies were investigating the behavior of such tiny black holes around stars, which might have helped in detecting them in the future." However, achieving the desired results might have taken more than ten years.

New Theories on Cosmic Evolution

Recent research and advancements sparked a growing interest in the universe and its underlying secrets prompting scientists to explore new cosmology theories and challenge traditional views. Explanations such as cyclic models, multiverse theories, primordial black holes, modified gravity concepts, quantum fluctuations, emergent gravity, pre-inflationary dynamics, and string theory gained traction, according to the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian . Even though questions about the multiverse remained unanswered, scientists continued working on refining their models to seek clarity.