Cosmic Background Rings

When physicists accidentally discovered radiation pervading the universe at an extremely low energy level nearly five decades ago, it was taken as evidence of the Big Bang-- in fact, as roughly the echo of the event that gave birth to our universe.

Now, two physicists studying that cosmic background radiation have discovered a "ring" of radiation in the data. They interpret the ring as evidence of a universe before the Big Bang, or, alternatively, as evidence of universes beside our own. Most physicists have generally held that we will never know what existed before the Big Bang-- if indeed "before the Big Bang" has any meaning at all. Theoretical physicists do allow for the possibility of other universes, but, so far, that idea has lacked supporting data.

Other physicists acknowledge the ring is in the data, but they reject the exotic explanations. They say the data can tell us more about the organization of the early universe, perhaps even about the split-second between the Big Bang and the inflation of spacetime that led to the universe we know. History suggests the majority of competent scientists are right about most things in their expertise most of the time, but leaps forward are made when a scientist hits upon an idea that turns out to be revolutionary.