Cosmological Constant and Dark Energy has been in the news for months.

The cosmological constant was thrown out a long time ago once we observed that the universe was expanding. The CC was something Einstein threw in because he thought the universe was eternal and static, so there had to be something that perfectly balanced the universe between expanding and contracting. Once we understood that the universe wasn't static then there was no need for the CC.Could the CC make a comeback? Maybe. That's what the article you quoted was suggesting. However, the CC isn't a part of modern Big Bang models, so it isn't a problem if the CC is not brought back. Who is saying that Dark Energy is good proof of the CC? Einstein called the CC his biggest mistake, and that was before the discovery of dark energy.

From my limited understanding as a physics layperson . . .The accelerating expansion of the universe is the evidence for dark energy. It is no different than watching two masses being attracted to one another and calling it gravity. I don't understand why CC even has to be brought into the conversation because dark energy already encompasses what is being observed.

No. I am saying that the CC doesn't seem to have any practical value, at least in the eyes of this poorly informed physics layman.

I don't have an opinion on it. It is my understanding that the value ascribed to dark energy is just a product of how much acceleration is measured in the expansion of space. It's like asking my opinion on the speed of light.

From my understanding, dark energy is just the placeholder name for what is causing the expansion of space to accelerate, so the value is a direct result of the measurement just like the speed of light.

What I am saying is that this number is simply a measurement. I agree that the age of the universe could change as we make better and better measurements, and possibly find systematic errors in how those measurements are interpreted. This is true for pretty much all of physics. It scares me as much as the speed of light suddenly changing and causing the Sun to decimate the Earth.

If it does it could destroy the Earth, so you better be worried.Also, gravity could suddenly become a repulsive force and blow the planet apart. Yet another reason to be worried.