A new study using the Dark Energy Survey (DES) final datasets suggests potential inconsistencies in the standard cosmological model, known as ΛCDM. If confirmed, these findings could fundamentally alter our understanding of the universe.

DES was conducted using the 570-megapixel Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera (DECam), mounted on the U.S. National Science Foundation Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile, a Program of NSF NOIRLab.

The ΛCDM (Lambda-CDM) model has been the foundation of modern cosmology for some time now, successfully describing large-scale structures in the universe. It proposes that 95% of the cosmos is composed of dark matter (25%) and dark energy (70%)—mysterious substances whose nature remains unknown. Only 5% of the universe consists of ordinary matter.