I don't think we are any nearer to understanding the origins of the universe than we were at the dawn of science. Whichever theory you are inclined towards you always end up with the conundrum that something was created from nothing which in our present experience is an impossibility.

The Big Bang Theory which the majority of scientific minds subscribe to suggests that initially there was nothing but energy but that breaks down immediately because there must have been a power source initially to produce energy. If the Universe didn't exist, where did the power source originate?

Likewise with the formation of the elements which make up the universe. We know that each atom of Hydrogen contains one proton, add another proton and it becomes Helium, add another it becomes Lithium and so on up the periodic table. By that rationale there must have been Hydrogen before anything else, so where did it come from?

You really could drive yourself nuts thinking about this, which I guess is the reason that a lot of people still put it down to God's handiwork. That's not a view I hold but it does seem pretty miraculous it has to be said. I don't think we'll be any closer to finding an answer until we understand the nature of dark matter and the part it may have played in the beginning. Latest thinking suggests that 85% of the universe is dark matter, where did it all come from?

Oops there's another one ??????