The light at the edge of the universe

by Michael D. Lemonick

Ever since the announcement of the Big Bang theory in the 1970s, cosmologists have been struggling to find answers (and the data to support them) to the question of how the universe evolved from a primitive, albeit unimaginably concentrated burst of energy some 15 billion years ago into today's complicated cosmos of galaxies and stars. Simply put, there are phenomena in deep space that no contemporary model of the universe can account for. Cosmology's most fundamental concepts are being destroyed and re-formed, resulting in a revolution in the field, a state many have called a crisis. Now, prize-winning Time magazine writer Michael D. Lemonick unravels the complicated work surrounding the mysteries of the cosmos by introducing us to the top scientists on the cutting edge. From Harvard there are the talented astronomers John Huchra, Margaret Geller, and Robert Kirshner. Not to be outdone, MIT presents the equally esteemed Alan Guth, John Tonry, and Jacqueline Hewitt. The Institute for A