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?