Creating the universe in a computer

Computer simulations help cosmologists unlock the mystery of how the universe evolved. Astronomers face a unique problem. While scientists from most fields can conduct experiments--particle physicists build massive particle colliders to test their theories of subatomic material, and microbiologists probe the properties of microbes on petri dishes--astronomers cannot conduct experiments with the stars and planets. Even the most advanced telescopes can provide only snapshots of the cosmos, and ver...