New 3D map of the universe unveils mysteries 

Scientists have unveiled the most extensive ever 3D map of the cosmos, charting over 6 million galaxies and raising intriguing questions about dark energy and the ultimate fate of our universe.

The map is constructed using data from Arizona's Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which triples the number of galaxies observed in previous efforts and has measured the distances to many of these galaxies for the first time.

The map allowed researchers to measure the universe's expansion rate at various points in its history with unparalleled precision. It confirms that the universe's expansion is accelerating but hints that dark energy, the enigmatic force driving this process, might not be constant as previously thought.

If dark energy were constant, the universe's future would be straightforward—eternal expansion. However, Prof. Carlos Frenk, a co-author from Durham University, suggests that these new hints could rewrite our understanding.

The research, published in preprints, details how scientists used the map to measure patterns in galaxy distribution linked to sound waves from the early universe.

By exploiting the known regularity of these patterns, the team calibrated distances to galaxies, calculating the universe's growth over the past 11 billion years with exceptional precision (better than 0.5% overall and 1% between 8-11 billion years ago).