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Physics Nobel Honors Early Universe and Exoplanet Discoveries
The astronomers Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz won half of the prize for their 1995 discovery of a Jupiter-like planet orbiting a nearby star. The cosmologist James Peebles won the other half for work exploring the structure of the universe.
Physicists Debate Hawking’s Idea That the Universe Had No Beginning
A recent challenge to Stephen Hawking’s biggest idea — about how the universe might have come from nothing — has cosmologists choosing sides.
A New Test for the Leading Big Bang Theory
Cosmologists have predicted the existence of an oscillating signal that could distinguish between cosmic inflation and alternative theories of the universe’s birth.
Physicists Hunt for the Big Bang’s Triangles
The story of the universe’s birth — and evidence for string theory — could be found in triangles and myriad other shapes in the sky.
Why the Big Bang’s Light May Have a Tilt
Scientists haven’t tested the Big Bang’s light for a revealing shift in 25 years. A new experiment aims to change that.
Joint Dust Analysis Deflates Big Bang Signal
No definitive evidence for cosmic inflation is found, but support remains strong for the theory even as critics highlight its shortcomings as an explanation for how and why the universe began.
‘Big Bang Signal’ Could All Be Dust
Cosmic dust in the high latitudes of the Milky Way could account for the entire swirl pattern that had been presented as proof of a leading Big Bang theory, according to a new data analysis from the Planck satellite.
A Bold Critic of the Big Bang’s ‘Smoking Gun’
The cosmologist David Spergel explains why a widely publicized gravitational-wave discovery could be wrong, and how the “overreaching” study could affect the public’s perception of science.
Early-Universe Explorer Looks for Answers
Chao-Lin Kuo, who helped design the experiment that claimed to have found evidence of gravitational waves from the Big Bang, isn’t bothered by criticism that cosmic dust may account for his results.