S. ELIOT, “THE HOLLOW MEN”While some physicists are trying to eliminate zero from their equations, others are showing that zero may have the last laugh. Even though scientists might never unlock the secrets of the universe’s birth, they are on the brink of understanding its death. The ultimate fate of the cosmos lies with zero.Einstein’s gravitational equations didn’t allow for a static, unchanging universe. They did, however, allow for several other fates, which depend on the amount of mass in the cosmos. In the case of a light universe, the balloon of space-time could expand forever, getting bigger and bigger. The stars and galaxies would wink out, one by one. The universe grows cold and dies a heat death. However, if there is enough mass—galaxies, galaxy clusters, and unseen dark matter—the initial push given by the big bang wouldn’t be enough to allow the balloon to inflate forever. The galaxies would tug on one another, eventually pulling the fabric of space-time together; the balloon would begin to deflate.
