Dark energy changes over time

Dark energy is thought to be the reason why the universe continues to expand faster and faster, instead of contracting. Yet researchers still don’t have a well-founded theory on what exactly this mysterious form of energy is. If current theories of the universe are correct, dark energy must account for up to 72 percent of the total matter of the universe today.

But what about in the past? Current theory assumes that dark energy had little influence early on. So, the expansion of the universe...