The 10 biggest physics and astronomy lies from 2023

Science, as an enterprise, is a work in progress.

And sometimes, dubious work on its frontiers masquerades as revolutionary truths.

Here are 10 cases where bad science might have fooled you in 2023.

10.) Astronomers found the Universe’s first stars.

Truth: they’re definitely out there, but remain undiscovered so far.

9.) Dark matter is wave-like in nature.

Truth: one poorly-observed system is no basis for such sweeping conclusions.

8.) JWST’s distant galaxies disprove the Big Bang.

Truth: deviations from expectations are slight, and remain consistent with modern cosmology.

7.) The expanding Universe is a mirage.

Truth: terrestrial laboratory experiments contradict the study’s unphysical assumptions.

6.) The Universe is actually 26.7 billion years old.

Truth: Historical observations rule this alternative out.

5.) LK-99 is a room-temperature superconductor.

Truth: its resistance never drops to zero; it never superconducts.

4.) Exoplanet K2-18b is an inhabited ocean world.

Truth: that claim crumbles without dimethyl sulfide, which was never detected.

3.) Time ran slower in the cosmic past.

Truth: time’s passes remains unchanged, but cosmic expansion dilates propagating light.

2.) Binary stars prove (or disprove) MOND.

Truth: this uncertainty-riddled method begets only unreliable conclusions.

1.) We’ve found alien technology on the ocean floor.

Truth: it was industrial pollution, and a charlatan fooling himself.

Always demand overwhelming evidence.

Mostly Mute Monday tells an astronomical story in images, visuals, and no more than 200 words.