What on Earth's the matter?

Does matter matter? Apparently the cold dark stuff scientists thought filled space may not be so cold and dark after all. Research showing that the first galaxies are older than we thought shoots holes in the cold dark matter theory - possibly black holes.

It sounds baffling and arcane. But take heed. Nasa astronomer George Smoot cashed in with his bestseller Wrinkles in Time. Three books of pictures from the Hubble telescope have just been published. It sounds like gobbledegook, but it's big business. The colour and temperature of the content of the cosmos could yet have an impact on our Christmas shopping lists.