Creation vs. Evolution

How the Universe Began - Current Scientific Theories

One of the most widely accepted theories of how the universe began, is the Big Bang Theory , which states that our universe began with a giant explosion. There are three pieces of evidence supporting the theory.

1. As far as we can tell, the universe is still expanding today.
2. The existence of heat radiation that is the suspected "afterglow" of the Big Bang.
3. The abundance of chemicals that correctly account for the hot dense stage that followed the Big Bang.

Physicist Stephen Hawking has added to the Big Bang theory. He believes that the universe may have begun as a small pea-sized object just before the Big Bang occurred 12 billion years ago. He says that time and space just came into existence at that moment, and "banged" half a second later, de-validating the question of why the universe did not become a black hole. His theory is called Open Inflation.

Another new theory is that the Big Bang was not a unique event, but rather one of many. This theory views the formation of new universes as analogous to the formation of bubbles. Universes draw off an enormous quantity of substances before they "bang", starting a bubble that is a new universe. These bubbles then float off to form their own galactic community within their own little sphere.

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This web site is a 1998 ThinkQuest Contest Semi-Finalist. Copyright © 1999 ThinkQuest Team 19012. All rights reserved. Last modified: Friday August 28, 1998.