- A new theory proposes that the universe may have originated from a 'rebound' of a previous cosmic collapse, rather than solely from the Big Bang.
- This 'black hole universe' theory suggests that a former universe condensed into an infinitesimally small singularity, potentially leaving behind 'cosmic fossils' like black holes that survived into our current universe.
- Proposed by scientists from the University of Portsmouth and the Institute of Space Sciences, the research was published in the journal Physical Review D.
- The theory could help explain long-standing cosmological mysteries, including the nature of dark matter, the trigger for the Big Bang, and the processes that seeded galaxy formation.
- Instead of an infinite singularity, the theory suggests the universe collapsed to a very high, but finite, density before expanding, with tests proposed to identify relic gravitational waves or patterns in the cosmic microwave background.
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