Largest structure challenges Einstein's smooth cosmos

www.newscientist.com/article/dn23074-lar...s-smooth-cosmos.html

There's a fair amount of material here that is new or unknown to me but anything that confronts our preconceptions of the universe and how it works is terribly interesting.

I love the bit at the end:-

"But the cosmological principle is so ingrained that it is hard for researchers to shake. "People are maybe understandably reluctant to give up the thing, because it will make cosmology too bloody complicated,"

It will be interesting to see where this goes.

Considering that the structure of content of the universe is based on random quantum fluctuations in the very early universe (as also evidenced in the fine structure of the cosmic microwave background) - should we note that large and strange patterns can result out of randomness - no matter how improbable that should be?

The cosmological principle seems like a sensible assumption - but GR is beyond me.
But if that assumption were stated to say there is no fundamental reason why the universe *should not* be isotropic and homogeneous as opposed to assuming that the universe *is* isotropic and homogeneous then would there be a problem?

As the man said "too bloody complicated".

Mark C.

"I have no doubt that in reality the future will be vastly more surprising than anything I can imagine. Now my own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose."

- J.B.S. Haldane



I'm starting to think Haldane's statement will become a law.