If Caldwell's team is right, cosmology would undergo a revolution. Sci-fi ideas like wormholes and time travel might suddenly enter the realm of hard science. All of this could sort itself out pretty soon, Caldwell believes. Observations over the next few years may actually show whether his phantom energy is possible.

"Who knows if it is right or wrong," Caldwell said of his theory. "I think we'll find out pretty soon."

In fact, recent observations from NASA's WMAP space probe have pinned down the physics of the universe with surprising accuracy. A little wiggle room remains for the cosmological constant. Yet more WMAP data are expected over the next four years. Other missions, including one called the Supernova Acceleration Probe (SNAP), could provide answers, Caldwell said.
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Pretty cool. At least we'd finally be rid of France.
If you like this kind of stuff you'll like Robert Kirshner's "The Elegant Universe" which I just finished. He led a team which measured SM type Ias to prove that the rate of expansion was increasing over time. Insight into what astronomers really do.

-p