What if the Universe Isn’t as Uniform as Scientists Think?

One of the fundamental pillars of modern cosmology may be beginning to wobble. A study published in Nature has found evidence that the universe may not behave the same way in every direction on the largest observable scales.

“What we found is a network of enormous filaments and walls of galaxies that remain aligned and interconnected across billions of light-years,” says Francesco Sylos Labini, research director of physics at the Enrico Fermi Research Center in Italy and the study's lead author.

What Should the Universe Look Like?

To explain the finding, Sylos uses a far simpler analogy than any mathematical equation. Imagine a map of the universe in which every galaxy is represented by a single point. If the universe truly becomes uniform on the largest scales, he explains, there should come a point at which the map looks essentially the same in every direction. Like a photograph viewed from...

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