IN the last few years, astronomers have found that all the ordinary matter we are familiar with is only a trace component of a cosmos dominated by "dark matter" of an unknown form, and even more abundant and mysterious "dark energy". Hence, it appears we are not even made of the main ingredients of this cosmic soup.
Nevertheless, ordinary matter is proving surprisingly useful in the study of the stuff that makes up the rest of the universe. In the last year, NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has provided detailed knowledge of the composition and density of ordinary matter in the universe. The unprecedented accuracy of this information opens up new possibilities, not only for testing our theory of how this type of matter formed, but also to challenge some views of cosmology. It could even provide answers to questions about more mysterious kinds of matter and energy.
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