The Big Bang theory was called into question after scientists discovered a star that seems older than the universe itself - and this could lead to a "scientific crisis."
The universe is believed to have originated about 13.8 billion years ago, when the infinitesimal point expanded in a fraction of a second. The Big Bang theory lasted most of the time after Belgian physicist Georges Lemaitre first proposed in 1927 that the expansion of the universe could be traced back to a single point. However, the well-accepted model is now under double-checking after a team of researchers discovered a star that appears to be older than space.
The star known as the "Methuselah Star" or scientifically HD 140283 is located about 200 light-years away and baffles experts.
Analysis of the star showed that it contains very little iron, which suggests that it was formed during a period when such an element was not in the Universe.
This, in turn, led to the discovery of a star 14.5 billion years old, about 0.7 billion years older than the universe.
The experts met at a conference in California in July to try to solve the mystery, but so far possible explanations have led to even more questions - what could lead to a "scientific revolution."
And that implies that HD 140283 must be as old as the universe itself."
Dr. Matthews has offered several logical explanations for this blatant inconsistency.
First, the estimated age of the universe is incorrect.
The Big Bang was not tracked back to its starting point, when scientists measured the expansion rate of the universe.
After learning how quickly the universe is expanding, scientists were unable to essentially reverse their equation to trace everything back to the beginning.