By Pranjal Malewar Published: January 12, 2026
Collected at: https://www.techexplorist.com/dark-energy-real-new-gravity-theory/101824/
For years, physicists have wrestled with one of the universe’s strangest riddles: why is the cosmos expanding faster and faster? The standard explanation has been dark energy, an invisible force added into the equations to make the math work.
But now, an international team of researchers from the University of Bremen’s Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM) and the Transylvanian University of Brașov in Romania has offered a fresh perspective.
Instead of relying on dark energy, they turned to a new framework called Finsler gravity, an extension of Einstein’s general relativity. Unlike the traditional model, Finsler gravity uses a richer geometry of spacetime, one that can better capture the gravitational effects of gases and subtle structures in the cosmos.
When the team recalculated the Friedmann equations, the mathematical backbone of cosmology, within this framework, the results were startling. The equations predicted accelerated expansion even in a vacuum, without the need to add a “dark energy term” by hand.
“This is an exciting indication that we may be able to explain the accelerated expansion of the universe, at least in parts, without dark energy, based on a generalized spacetime geometry,” says Christian Pfeifer, ZARM physicist and member of the research team.
He continues: “This new geometric point of view on the dark energy problem opens up new possibilities for better understanding the laws of nature in the cosmos.”
The idea that geometry itself, the very shape of spacetime, could drive the universe’s acceleration is a radical shift. It suggests that the cosmos may not need an unseen force to explain its restless expansion. Instead, the hidden elegance of mathematics might be enough.
For now, dark energy is still a placeholder in physics. However, studies like this remind us that even the most established theories can be re-imagined. The universe may be suggesting that its secrets are found not in invisible forces, but in the shape of space and time itself.
Journal Reference:
- Christian Pfeifer, Nicoleta Voicu, Annamária Friedl-Szász, and Elena Popovici-Popescu. From kinetic gases to an exponentially expanding universe — the Finsler-Friedmann equation. Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics. DOI: 10.1088/1475-7516/2025/10/050
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