Finding what you don’t expect: A runaway universe

Yesterday I talked about astrophysicists’ love for being perplexed. These days, a hot topic of wonder and perplexity is the accelerating speed of the universe.

I remember when I first heard the surprising news. It was a decade or so ago, and I was at a party with some friends in Oakland. Someone turned to a man in the group and asked, “So, Saul, is the universe going to keep expanding, or is it going to eventually contract again?” Read More…