Spacetime With Stuart Gary

In this episode of SpaceTime, we explore the future of our universe, the latest advancements in mapping our Milky Way, and the pivotal role fungi played in the evolution of life on land.The Universe's Fate: A Big Crunch in 20 Billion YearsA groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics reveals that the universe is approaching the midpoint of its 33 billion-year lifespan and may end in approximately 20 billion years. Lead author Henry Tighe from Cornell University presents new data suggesting that the universe's cosmological constant may be negative, leading to a contraction and eventual collapse—a phenomenon referred to as the "big crunch." This research, based on observations from the Dark Energy Survey and the dark energy spectroscopic instrument DESI, challenges long-held beliefs about the universe's eternal expansion and opens new avenues for understanding cosmic evolution.Mapping the Milky Way: Gaia's 3D ViewThe European Space Agency's Gaia Space Telescope has unvei