Is Our Universe ACTUALLY 26 Billion Years Old? The Joe Rogan Experience

Summary

The video script discusses the debate over the age of the universe, with a claim that it might be 26 billion years old, challenging the widely accepted 13.8 billion years. It critiques the idea that advanced civilizations or the formation of galaxies could be used to determine the universe's age, emphasizing that such factors do not necessarily reflect the universe's true age. The speaker, an experimentalist, highlights the importance of testing and refining scientific models, suggesting that new technology like the Simons Observatory could provide deeper insights into galaxy formation and potentially reshape our understanding of the cosmos.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The claim of a 26 billion-year-old universe is questioned in the context of advanced civilizations existing on a 4.3 billion-year-old Earth, implying that the planet's age must be older to support such developments.
• 🔭 Gupta's argument suggests that the properties and distribution of galaxies indicate they could not have formed in a universe as young as 13 billion years, challenging the current understanding of the universe's age.
• 🤔 The speaker contemplates the difference between the universe's age being 13 billion versus 27 billion years, highlighting the importance of precision in scientific claims.
• 🧠 The speaker emphasizes that the structure of galaxies does not necessarily reflect the universe's age, but rather our models and simulations of galaxy formation.
• 🔬 The age of the universe is known with a certain degree of precision, akin to knowing a person's birth date within a week, not exact but close enough for scientific purposes.
• 🛠 The role of an experimentalist is to challenge and prove theories wrong, narrowing down possibilities to reveal the truth.
• 🌐 Isaac Asimov's quote is used to illustrate the importance of refining our understanding of the Earth's shape, and by extension, the universe's structure.
• 🌪 The unpredictability of complex systems, like climate, is compared to the challenges in accurately modeling galaxy formation.
• 🔮 The potential for new technology, like the Simons Observatory, to provide more information and refine our understanding of galaxy formation is acknowledged.
• 🚀 The speaker differentiates between the study of galaxy formation and the study of the universe's origins, noting that advancements in one do not necessarily impact the other.
• 🌟 The James Webb Space Telescope is mentioned as a tool for studying galaxy formations, stars, exoplanets, and potentially extraterrestrial civilizations, but not for understanding the Big Bang itself.

Q & A

What is the claim about the age of the universe that the speaker is discussing?

The speaker is discussing a claim that the universe is 26 billion years old, which they find hard to reconcile with the current understanding that the universe is around 13.8 billion years old.

Why does the speaker find the 26 billion years claim problematic?

The speaker finds the claim problematic because it contradicts the established scientific understanding of the universe's age and the development timeline of civilizations and galaxies.

What does the speaker suggest about the development of civilizations and technology?

The speaker suggests that the development of advanced technology, such as electrified silicon and internet, on a planet that is supposedly only 4 billion years old is implausible according to their model of civilization development.

What is the speaker's view on the criticism of the Big Bang theory based on galaxy formation?

The speaker believes that the criticism based on galaxy formation does not necessarily undermine the Big Bang theory. Instead, it might indicate flaws in our models of galaxy formation rather than the age of the universe.

What is the speaker's profession and how does it influence their perspective on scientific theories?

The speaker identifies as an experimentalist, which means their job is to test and potentially disprove scientific theories, not to prove them right, aiming to refine and improve existing models.

What does the speaker mean when they say their job is to prove theories wrong?

The speaker means that as a scientist, their role is to challenge and test the validity of existing theories, to find and correct any flaws, thereby contributing to a more accurate understanding of the truth.

What is the significance of the Simons Observatory in the context of the discussion?

The Simons Observatory is significant as it aims to provide new insights into the early universe, potentially offering more information that could refine our understanding of galaxy formation and the universe's history.

What is the speaker's stance on the possibility of new technology changing our understanding of the universe?

The speaker is open to the idea that new technology could reveal more information about the universe, potentially leading to a remapping of our current models and understanding.

What does the speaker compare the complexity of simulating Earth's climate to?

The speaker compares the complexity of simulating Earth's climate to the need for another Earth, as there is no way to reduce the complexity of a physical system to less than the system itself.

How does the speaker view the process of scientific discovery and refinement?

The speaker views scientific discovery as a process of finding flaws in existing paradigms, refining them, and improving our understanding through the discovery of new information and technologies.

What is the speaker's opinion on the possibility of advanced civilizations casting doubt on the universe's history?

The speaker believes that even if a hyper-advanced civilization were discovered, it would not cause them to question the universe's history itself, but rather it would prompt a reevaluation of models of civilization development.