dust polarization emission at galactic poles

Cosmology

Dust Makes Cosmic Inflation Signal Iffy

A new analysis of Planck data bolsters the claim that the polarization signal heralded as evidence for cosmic inflation is from dust instead.

Planck map with cosmic infrared background

Milky Way

Big Bang Inflation Evidence Inconclusive

New analyses suggest that observations heralded as evidence for the universe’s brief growth spurt don’t conclusively show what researchers thought they did.

B-mode discovery telescope

Galaxies

Direct Evidence of Big Bang Inflation

Researchers with an experiment based at the South Pole have discovered the long-sought "smoking gun" for inflation. The signal was hidden in polarization patterns in the cosmic microwave background and confirms physicists' audacious theory of how the Big Bang happened.

Space Missions

Planck: Best Map Yet of Cosmic Creation

Planck mission scientists have released the first half of their observations of the cosmic microwave background. The results are a stunning confirmation of today's standard model for how the universe formed and grew. But they also raise some head-scratchers.