Apparently there are subatomic particles popping in and out of existence all the time. One (possibly out of favor) theory is that the harder a vacuum is, the more of them stick around. This could cause a steady-state universe.
Or I could be misremembering it completely. But it's a hopeful theory, that theoretically allows for indefinite survival.
__________________
_________________
|...............| We live in the nick of times.
| Len 17, Wid 3 |
|_______________| [pics]
|