Dark energy findings could rewrite our understanding of the universe and its fate: "Cusp of a major discovery"

Scientists are homing in on the nature of a mysterious force called dark energy, and nothing short of the fate of the universe hangs in the balance.

The force is enormous - it makes up nearly 70% of the universe. And it is powerful - it is pushing all the stars and galaxies away from each other at an ever faster rate.

And now scientists are getting a little closer to understanding how it behaves. The big question is whether this dark energy is a constant force, an idea first introduced by Albert Einstein in his theory of relativity, or whether the force is weakening, a surprising wrinkle tentatively proposed last year.