Bierstadt Pioneers of the Woods

Bierstadt Pioneers of the WoodsBierstadt Sunset of the PrairiesBierstadt The Great Trees Mariposa Grove CaliforniaBierstadt Valley in Kings Canyon
The source of energy, matter and the universe itself is the ultimate mystery of, well, the universe.
Based on a widespread afterglow called the cosmic microwave background (and other evidence), scientists think that the cosmos formed from a "Big Bang" -- an incomprehensible expansion of energy from an ultra-hot, ultra-dense state.
Describing time before the event, however, may be impossible.
Still, atom smasher searches for particles that formed shortly after the Big Bang could shed new light on the universe's mysterious existence -- and make it a bit less strange than it is today.
Caption: Illustration showing the creationdidn't even exist.
Scientists have found that they originate in stars (living or exploding), nuclear material and from the Big Bang. The elementary particles come in three "flavors" and, stranger still, seem to disappear on a whim.
Because neutrinos occasionally do interact with "normal" matter such as water and mineral oil, scientists hope and expansion of the universe. Credit: NASA