---
title: "Universe is 26.7 Billion Years Old, and Dark Matter Does Not Exist: Ottawa Physicists Propose Model Rewriting Cosmology"
description: "University of Ottawa physicists published the CCC+TL model in MNRAS: it estimates the universe is 26.7 billion years old and does not require dark matter or dark energy. Verification will be through the JWST GLIMPSE program."
date: 2026-11-14T06:16:57.050Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/universe-26-7-billion-years-old-dark-matter-not-needed
tags: [cosmology, dark-matter, universe-age, ccc-tl-model, james-webb, ottawa-university]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Universe is 26.7 Billion Years Old, and Dark Matter Does Not Exist: Ottawa Physicists Propose Model Rewriting Cosmology

![Visualization of a cosmological model and a graph of the universe's expansion history on a large transparent screen in a laboratory](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/14/vselennaya-26-7-mld-let-temnaya-materiya-ne-nuzhna-ccc-tl/vselennaya-26-7-mld-let-temnaya-materiya-ne-nuzhna-ccc-tl-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The University of Ottawa's CCC+TL model estimates the age of the universe at 26.7 billion years and discards dark matter and dark energy
- The work is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society; authors are Rajendra Gupta and Nikolaos Samaras
- The model reproduces nucleosynthesis, rotation curves of 175 galaxies (SPARC), and Bullet Cluster dynamics without dark components
- The next test is the GLIMPSE program on the James Webb Telescope: searching for galaxies with record-breaking redshift

Scientists at the University of Ottawa have presented a cosmological model that radically revises two pillars of modern astrophysics: the age of the universe and the necessity for so-called dark components. According to the paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), the age of the universe is 26.7 billion years — nearly twice as old as assumed in the standard ΛCDM model. Moreover, according to the authors' calculations, neither dark matter nor dark energy is required to describe observed phenomena. The study was conducted by physics professor Rajendra Gupta and Nikolaos Samaras.

### The CCC+TL Model: How the Alternative Works

The new concept is called CCC+TL — covarying coupling constants plus tired light. Instead of introducing invisible substances that have eluded direct detection for decades, the model suggests that the fundamental constants governing the interaction of forces and particles change over time. Light, in turn, loses energy while traversing vast distances. These two mechanisms, in the authors' view, reproduce the effects that the standard model attributes to dark matter and dark energy. To test the theory, Gupta and Samaras modified Einstein's and Friedmann's equations, developing new mathematical tools.

### Consistency with Observational Data

The authors claim the model demonstrates high consistency with key astronomical data. Predictions regarding the abundance of hydrogen, helium, and other light elements formed in the first minutes after the Big Bang matched the values predicted by the standard model. Data from cosmic chronometers confirmed the calculated expansion rate of the universe. The researchers paid particular attention to galaxy rotation curves: an analysis of the SPARC database, covering 175 galaxies, showed that the model can reproduce the observed curves without invoking dark matter. Furthermore, in the analysis of the Bullet Cluster collision, the additional gravitational effect in the new model follows the galaxies themselves rather than the hot X-ray gas, which the authors believe is an important argument in favor of the concept.

### The Problem of Early Galaxies and the "Missing" Four Billion Years

One of the most acute problems in modern astrophysics is the detection of extremely massive and mature galaxies in the early stages of cosmic history. In the standard model, the age of the universe at the cosmic dawn is estimated at approximately 300 million years, which is widely considered insufficient for the formation of such objects. According to the CCC+TL model, at the same redshift level, the universe's age is about 4.6 billion years. This additional time, the authors estimate, allowed galaxies to grow about 12 times larger in size and mass than the standard theory suggests, thereby resolving the conflict between theory and observations.

### Verification: The GLIMPSE Program and the James Webb Telescope

The next stage of testing the theory will be the GLIMPSE program, in which the James Webb Space Telescope will purposefully search for galaxies with record-high redshifts. If such objects are discovered in the early universe, where the standard model would suggest there was not yet enough time for them to form, it will be a strong argument for the alternative model. The scientific community traditionally requires new cosmological theories to undergo independent verification on independent datasets before displacing the established paradigm.

### Context: Why This Is Important

The standard ΛCDM model, in which about 27% of the universe's mass-energy is accounted for by dark matter and about 68% by dark energy, has dominated cosmology for the last two decades. Nevertheless, neither of these substances has been directly detected, and the discovery of massive early-galactic structures increasingly questions the sufficiency of ΛCDM. Gupta and Samaras's work is not the only attempt to revise the model: other alternatives, including hypotheses about modified gravity at different scales, are being discussed in scientific literature. However, the CCC+TL model stands out by offering a unified mathematical framework that simultaneously explains nucleosynthesis, cosmic expansion, galaxy rotation curves, and cluster dynamics without introducing additional invisible components.

## Accounts differ

### Age of the universe and the necessity of dark matter

- **Standard Cosmological Model (ΛCDM):** The universe is about 13.8 billion years old; dark matter (~27% of mass-energy) and dark energy (~68%) are required to describe galaxy rotation curves, cluster dynamics, and accelerated expansion. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vsesvit-vdvichi-starshiy-temna-materiya-potribna-1794225605.html))
- **Rajendra Gupta and Nikolaos Samaras (CCC+TL model, University of Ottawa):** The universe is 26.7 billion years old; effects attributed to dark matter and dark energy are explained by the evolution of fundamental coupling constants and the loss of energy by light over large distances, without introducing invisible substances. ([rbc.ua](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vsesvit-vdvichi-starshiy-temna-materiya-potribna-1794225605.html))

*Where they agree:* Both models describe observational data (nucleosynthesis, cosmic expansion, galaxy rotation curves), and both acknowledge the existence of massive early-galactic structures.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Вселенная вдвое старше, а темная материя не нужна: сенсационная теория ученых](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vsesvit-vdvichi-starshiy-temna-materiya-potribna-1794225605.html) - Primary source: full description of the CCC+TL model, authors, MNRAS journal, SPARC data, Bullet Cluster, GLIMPSE program.
- [Вселенная вдвое старше, чем все думали, а важная её часть "исчезла", – ученый](https://www.unian.net/curiosities/vselennaya-uchenye-oprovergli-sushchestvovanie-temnoy-materii-i-utochnili-ee-vozrast-13350228.html) - Confirms 26.7 billion year age, authors' names, CCC+TL model name, references Earth.com as primary source.
- [Темная материя прибыла из другой Вселенной: Большой взрыв – не начало, считают физики (фото)](https://focus.ua/technologies/750895-temnaya-materiya-pribyla-iz-drugoy-vselennoy-bolshoy-vzryv-ne-nachalo-schitayut-fiziki-foto) - Подтверждено по источнику focus.ua
- [Странное поведение гравитации: темная материя может вообще не существовать](https://focus.ua/technologies/742985-strannoe-povedenie-gravitacii-temnaya-materiya-mozhet-voobshche-ne-sushchestvovat) - Подтверждено по источнику focus.ua

## FAQ

### What is the age of the universe according to the new model?

According to the CCC+TL model proposed by Rajendra Gupta and Nikolaos Samaras from the University of Ottawa, the age of the universe is 26.7 billion years.

### What is the CCC+TL model?

CCC+TL (covarying coupling constants plus tired light) is a cosmological model in which fundamental coupling constants change over time and light loses energy when traveling large distances. These two mechanisms, in the authors' opinion, explain the effects that are attributed to dark matter and dark energy in the standard model.

### Where was the study published?

The research was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).

### How will the model be tested further?

The next stage will be the GLIMPSE program using the James Webb Space Telescope. It will search for galaxies with record-high redshifts; finding them at an age where the standard model suggests there was not enough time for their formation will be an argument for the CCC+TL model.

### Why is the standard ΛCDM model being questioned?

In addition to the fact that dark matter and dark energy have not been directly detected, the standard model struggles to explain the detection of extremely massive galaxies in the early stages of the universe's history, when calculations under ΛCDM suggest there was not enough time for them to form.