Is JWST Already Probing Fundamental Physics With Ancient Galaxies?

There has been heated debate in the astronomical community about whether some ancient galaxies observed by JWST are far too large to have formed in our standard cosmology. This seminar --- aimed at an audience with no prior astronomy or cosmology experience --- will outline this debate, focusing on (1) why these observations would be a five-alarm-fire in cosmology if true (2) the landscape of alternative theories that would be interesting in this case, and (3) the even larger landscape of observational and modeling systematics that these observations hinge upon.