Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 28, 2025

Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
Published on: November 15, 2013
Manifesto: challenging the standard cosmological model.
James Binney1, Roya Mohayaee2, John Peacock3
1Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK.
This article summarizes a Royal Society Discussion Meeting on challenging the standard cosmological model. Key learnings from the April 2024 event are presented, fostering new research directions.
Area of Science:
- Cosmology
- Astrophysics
Background:
- The standard cosmological model (SCM) has been remarkably successful but faces theoretical and observational challenges.
- Recent advancements necessitate a re-evaluation of fundamental cosmological principles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To convene experts to discuss and challenge the prevailing standard cosmological model.
- To identify key areas of tension and potential new research avenues in cosmology.
Main Methods:
- A summary of discussions and presentations from a two-day Royal Society meeting.
- Synthesis of expert opinions on the limitations and future of cosmological models.
Main Results:
- Identification of specific tensions within the standard cosmological model.
- Exploration of alternative cosmological frameworks and observational tests.
- Discussion on the implications of new data for our understanding of the universe.
Conclusions:
- The standard cosmological model requires significant scrutiny and potential revision.
- Further theoretical and observational work is crucial to address current cosmological puzzles.
- The meeting highlighted a dynamic and evolving field of research in cosmology.
Related Concept Videos
Schwarzschild Radius and Event Horizon
The minimum speed required to launch a projectile from the surface of an object to which it is gravitationally bound so that it eventually escapes the object’s gravitational field is called the escape velocity. The escape velocity is independent of the mass of the object. Merging the idea of escape...
Detection of Black Holes
Their closest cousins are neutron stars, which are composed almost entirely of neutrons packed against each other, making them extremely dense. A neutron star has the same mass as the Sun but its diameter is only a few kilometers. Therefore, the escape velocity from their surface is close to the speed of light.
Not until the 1960s, when the first neutron...
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
The Principle of Superposition and the Gravitational Field
Gravitation Between Spherically Symmetric Masses
Space-Time Curvature and the General Theory of Relativity
This has been verified in many experiments. However, space and time are no longer absolute. Two observers moving relative to one another do not agree on the length of objects or the passage of time. The mechanics of objects based on Newton's laws of...

