Edited sentence: But the Big Bang theory cannot survive without these fudge factors.If virtually all funding in cosmology is provided to a single theory, they argue, then it is of little surprise that (a) most scientists accept it, and (b) no competing theories are able to arise.In May of 2004, New Scientist published a letter co-signed by 33 scientists regarding their doubts about, and frustration with, the Big Bang cosmology.It would, at the least, raise serious questions as to the validity of the underlying theory.Since its publishing, the list of co-signers has grown to include 213 scientists and engineers, 183 independent researchers, and numerous lay-signers (figures as of December 16, 2005).The "cosmology statement" notes that whenever the Big Bang cosmology is questioned, yet another hypothetical layer is added to the theory, such as inflation theory: "In no other field of physics would this continual recourse to new hypothetical objects be accepted as a way of bridging the gap between theory and observation.The final complaint of the statement is that, though there are other theories which may one day challenge the Big Bang cosmology (specifically cited are the steady-state model and plasma cosmology, a complete lack of funding of these competing theories render it impossible for either of them to be rigorously tested.The signers include physicists and astronomers from numerous prestigous universities and physics laboratories.The statement goes on to note that the big bang theory "can boast of no quantitative predictions that have subsequently been validated by observation.The successes claimed by the theory's supporters consist of its ability to retrospectively fit observations with a steadily increasing array of adjustable parameters, just as the old Earth-centered cosmology of Ptolemy needed layer upon layer of epicycles.This statement, titled An Open Letter to the Scientific Community is available online.Though the bulk of the scientific community undoubtedly accepts the Big Bang cosmological model, a growing number of scientists have begun to question the legitimacy of the model.Whether the cosmological statement of 2004 will result in new avenues of research, or whether it will be largely ignored, remains to be seen