Scientists Suggest the Universe, Could Begin to Contract, in Just 100 Million Years.<br />Scientists in the United States think<br />that the universe could begin to shrink <br />toward its eventual demise and rebirth. .<br />'Newsweek' reports that the prevailing <br />modern theory for the origin of the universe <br />was a vast expansion of everything from a single point.<br />This singular event is referred to as the "Big Bang.".<br />Unlike the beginning, <br />the end of the universe is <br />the subject of multiple theories. .<br />"The Big Rip" suggests that the universe <br />will continue to expand until the distance <br />between particles becomes infinite. .<br />"The Big Freeze" theorizes that the universe <br />will continue to cool as it expands until <br />all matter is reduced to absolute zero. .<br />"The Big Crunch" suggests that the universe <br />will begin to contract and eventually<br />collapse in on itself before exploding once again. .<br />'Newsweek' points out that in the <br />latter scenario, the beginning and the end <br />of the universe are tied to one singular event. .<br />According to a team of scientists from New York and <br />New Jersey, the transition from expansion to contraction <br />could occur within the next 100 million years. .<br />The team believes that the universe's <br />"slow contraction phase" could last for about <br />1 billion years before resulting in another "Big Bang." .<br />The team's work was published <br />on April 5 in the journal 'The Proceedings <br />of the National Academy of Sciences.'
