New gravity models say the universe is getting more lopsided over time, which kind of breaks a big rule in space science.
arXiv · March 17, 2026 · 2603.14488
The Takeaway
The 'cosmic no-hair theorem' states that the universe's expansion should smooth out any irregularities, making it look the same in every direction. This paper finds that under certain gravitational conditions, the universe actually grows more lumpy and asymmetric as it ages, challenging our basic understanding of cosmic history.
From the abstract
Nonlocal RT gravity has proven effective in explaining the late-time cosmic acceleration while remaining consistent with local gravity tests. However, most previous cosmological studies of this theory have assumed an isotropic background, which may not fully capture the slight anisotropies suggested by current observations, such as those inferred from Type Ia supernovae data. In this paper, we investigate the dynamical evolution of an anisotropic Bianchi type I universe within the framework of n