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5. DARK MATTER AND STRUCTURE FORMATION

As successful as the standard cosmology is, it leaves important questions about the origin and evolution of the Universe unanswered. To an optimist, these questions suggest that there is a grander cosmological theory, which encompasses the hot big-bang model and resolves these questions. It can easily be argued that the most pressing issues in cosmology are: the quantity and composition of energy and matter in the Universe, and the origin and nature of the density perturbations that seeded all the structure in the Universe. Cosmology is poised for major progress on these two questions. Answering these questions will provide a window to see beyond the standard cosmology.