Six years ago we ran a debate, 'Bang Goes The Big Bang', which posed challenges to the idea that the universe began with the Big Bang. And the doubts are growing. In order to maintain the Big Bang theory cosmologists 'invented' dark matter and dark energy for which we have no direct evidence and supposedly make up 95% of the universe. New experimental data continues to add further challenges to the theory.
Can refinements retain the Big Bang theory? Should we look for radical alternatives? Or more fundamentally is cosmology itself in crisis and our account of ourselves and the universe a fantasy that we imagine to be the truth?
Astronomer, cosmologist and author, Chris Impey, theoretical physicist and creator of the influential Backreaction blog Sabine Hossenfelder and philosopher of science Bjørn Ekeberg explore the beginning of everything in Our Story of the Universe.