When Fields Collide
The history of particle cosmology shows that science can benefit from wrenching changes
By David Kaiser
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Particle cosmology, which investigates how the smallest units of matter have determined the shape and fate of the universe, is one of the hottest topics in physics today. In recent years the field has received as much as half a billion dollars in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation and NASA. Scientists have made great strides in understanding the high-energy particle interactions that roiled the universe in the first moments of its history and influenced cosmic evolution in the billions of years ?afterward.
The dramatic success of particle cosmology is all the more striking given that this branch of research did not even exist 30 years ago. Before 1975, particle physics and cosmology were treated as separate fields of study (especially in the U.S.), and few scientists considered how discoveries in one specialty could enhance research in the other.
Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism
Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.
When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.
Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber
