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Eleven Physics and Astronomy Questions for the New Century

The following questions are from the report, Connecting Quarks with the Cosmos: Eleven Science Questions for the New Century, released by the National Research Council in January 2001.

  • What is the dark matter?
  • What is the nature of dark energy?
  • How did the universe begin?
  • Did Einstein have the last word on gravity?
  • What are the masses of the neutrinos, and how have they shaped the evolution of the universe?
  • How do cosmic accelerators work and what are they accelerating?
  • Are protons unstable?
  • Are there new states of matter at exceedingly high density and temperature?
  • Are there additional spacetime dimensions?
  • How were the elements from iron to uranium made?
  • Is a new theory of matter and light needed at the highest energies?