Overview

• Researchers applied an axion–dark energy framework to fresh Dark Energy Survey and DESI data and found hints that dark energy may not be constant.
• Their analysis reveals a negative cosmological constant, implying gravity could overcome expansion and reverse the universe’s growth.
• According to the model, the cosmos will reach a final singularity after about 33.3 billion years, with collapse initiating in roughly 20 billion years.
• The proposed theory combines ultralight axion fields with a variable cosmological constant to account for changing dark energy dynamics.
• Results are drawn from an unpeer-reviewed preprint and await further observational tests to confirm this potential shift in cosmic fate.