Skip to content

Surprising Science — April 8, 2014

Exploring Science, Religion, and the Big Bang

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Physicists used to believe that the universe existed forever, there was no beginning, and there would be no end. The universe seemed as constant, as dependable as the night sky that never failed to show up, night after night. Of course, this view conflicted with religions that had stories on the creation of the universe. So it makes sense that the Big Bang Theory–the idea that our universe had a beginning, because it’s expanding–was first developed by a priest.

Georges Lemaître, a Belgian Roman Catholic priest, astronomer, and professor of physics at the Université catholique de Louvain, was the first to propose that the universe was expanding. His work paved the way for the Big Bang Theory.

But is physics taking us back to the theory that the universe is in fact eternal? MinutePhysics explores the science and some of the religion behind the Big Bang Theory:

Sign up for the Smarter Faster newsletter

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Related

The Milky Way, a galaxy in space filled with stars, grew up.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when the Milky Way grew up?

Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is both completely normal and absolutely remarkable in a number of ways. Here’s the story of our cosmic home.

A graphical representation illustrating the concept of the big bang and the subsequent expansion of the universe, depicted by a transition from a singular point of energy to a wide, grid-like spread of galaxies and celestial elements

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when the Universe was at its hottest?

When the hot Big Bang first occurred, the Universe reached a maximum temperature never recreated since. What was it like back then?

Diagram of the expanding universe concept with cosmic inflation, light cone, and time axis.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when cosmic inflation occurred?

Cosmic inflation is the state that preceded and set up the hot Big Bang. Here’s what the Universe was like during that time period.

cosmic inflation big bang dark ages

New paper argues that the Universe began with two Big Bangs

Bang bang all over the Universe.

An image of a spiral galaxy in space.

13.8

Is the Universe conscious? A panpsychism Q&A with philosopher Philip Goff

We need a hypothesis that accounts for both the fine-tuning of physics for life but also the arbitrariness and gratuitous suffering we find in the world.

Up Next

Surprising Science

Genetically Engineered Humans for Space?

Let’s face it. The way we’re treating the Earth, we’re going to need a new home, likely very soon. Stephen Hawking has even warned us to abandon Earth or face […]