<ul><li>Scientists have discovered that dark energy, a mysterious force acting as anti-gravity, is currently dominating the cosmic tug of war between matter and itself, driving the expansion of the universe.</li><li>A recent analysis by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (Desi) suggests that dark energy peaked when the universe was about 70% of its current age and is now on the decline.</li><li>This challenges the widely accepted theoretical model that assumes dark energy to be constant and predicts a 'big freeze' scenario in which distant regions recede too fast, leading to an isolated universe.</li><li>If dark energy were to decline beyond zero and become negative, it could reverse the expansion, resulting in a potential 'big crunch', or the universe could have a quieter ending if dark energy settled at zero.</li></ul>

Is dark energy destined to dominate the universe and lead to the ‘big crunch’?

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