In the latest years, due to unsurmountable problems of unification of the interactions and the non explicability of some observations in the universe according to the current theories (Dark matter and Dark energy), several researches are more and more approaching a vision of a Universe closer to the Maxwell ether as opposed to the space-time voidness of the metric representation of Einstein, than ever before.
Although the aether conception is forever abandoned as initially tought, there are several attempts at describing the Physics of the cosmos with the help of Hyperfluids. GR was also considered as such (MOELLER).
The following papers are one example of such research
by Schmelzer
Article A Generalization of the Lorentz Ether to Gravity with Genera...
by CHristov
Article Space as a Material Continuum and the Cosmological Redshift ...
this one has been just issued by Capoziello.
Preprint Effective field description of the Anton-Schmidt cosmic fluid
is this going to be a way to unification through a unifying entity?