Universe's Shape: Doughnut, Not Pancake?
New research suggests that the universe could be shaped like a doughnut, with a more complicated topology than previously thought. While all observations so far suggest that the universe is flat, strange patterns found in echoes of the Big Bang could be explained by a more complicated shape. Astronomers have not fully tested the universe's flatness, and a universe with a complicated topology could explain some of the anomalies in the cosmic microwave background.