The fascinating frontier of modern cosmological research lies in the study of the very early history of the universe. This book captures the excitement of scientific investigation concerning the origins of the universe and the nature of physical laws. It describes the current search foranswers to persistent, fundamental questions. Did the universe have a beginning? Is it dominated by matter rather than antimatter? Why, how, and when did galaxies form? What is the nature of matter that cannot be seen but is believed to exist? Can cosmology supply clues to the riddle ofunification of all laws of physics? Combining a description of the latest discoveries with a review of basic physical laws, this remarkable work will interest many general readers as well as students and researchers in astronomy and physics.