Expert: Ed - 1/27/2006

Question
Hi.

I read recently that two thirds of the universe is billions of years older than we are. This puzzles me as the universe all began at the same time so it should be the same age all over. Is the comment implying that the potential for evolution began in some parts of the universe sooner than it began in our area? Thanks.  

Answer
Steve,

Sorry I'm (increasingly) late in getting back to you.  I've tried to answer several times, but my answer keeps getting bounced back to me.  Sometimes the AllExperts server is so clunky, it's just plain embarrassing.  Let's see if it goes through this time.

Is this what you're thinking of?
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/gemini_survey_040105.html

This doesn't mean that two thirds of the universe is actually OLDER than we are, in any absolute way.  It just means that two thirds of the universe MATURED much more swiftly than we did, after the Big Bang, in the sense of developing matter from primordial energy, etc. before our local region did.

To answer your second question, YES, it does mean that some parts of the universe MAY be billions of years farther along than we are, in terms of evolution.  Providing, of course, that conditions for life were met in those regions of space.  Let's hope that any civilized aliens that we could meet from such areas are friendly!

You sound like someone who enjoys having their brain expanded and/or boggled.  Check out this link, about cutting edge math and physics expanding our sense of dimensions, the universe, and more.
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/susskind03/susskind_index.html

If you want to stay REALLY up on developments in cosmology, keep an eye on this website, and go through their archives sometimes.
http://www-ctp.mit.edu/cosmo.html

Their archives of past papers, with abstracts of papers from last year, etc., are at the bottom of the webpage.    The concepts and terminology are usually almost impossible to understand, but if you really wanted to you could do the research yourself!

Best wishes, and Keep Looking Up!
--Ed