Computing the Cosmos: One of the biggest computer simulations ever run is illuminating the deepest mysteries of the universe
[T]he current generation of cosmologists is tackling the kinds of problems they may not be able to solve by jotting down equations on paper or peering through telescopes.
They have made remarkable progress with their cosmological theories, but many fundamental questions remain. When were the first stars really born? Why do galaxies have the shapes and sizes they have? How much dark matter, exactly, is out there? What is in the huge labyrinthine voids entangled in the cosmic web? For some of these questions, supercomputers may provide the long-sought answers.
