How can we know what the early universe was like? Cosmologist Alan Guth believes that the cosmos we observe today gives us plenty of clues as to what form it took in its nascency. He argues that the flatness of galactic expansion, lumpiness of matter, and uniformity of the cosmic microwave background can all be explained by an initial burst of inflation the universe experienced in its very beginnings.

This program is part of The Big Idea Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

Recorded June 2009; Posted April 2011