题目选项分析

Astronomers have long believed that the universe was over 15 billion years old. This information was based on theories that estimated the ages of very large, old stars. New data, however, has forced this age to be revised. Recent observations suggest that stars age much more quickly than was previously thought. Current estimates put the age of the universe at just over 13 billion years.

Which of the following best describes the function of the bolded sentence in the argument above?

【选项】It refutes one of the assumptions underlying the old age estimates.