One of the ways scientists study the CMB is by subjecting the warm and cold spots in the radiation to a detailed statistical analysis, examining the deviations in temperature as a function of their size on the sky - their angular scale.

BBC: The first fractions of a second after the Big Bang

The planet today is cold, arid and lifeless, bathed in sterilizing radiation.

WSJ: Scientists Say Microbial Life Was Possible on Mars

Maybe the generation who know nothing of the Cold War are growing up with a different perspective on radiation?

BBC: Japan nuclear threat: The tsunami is the bigger tragedy

The Japanese government insists that the reactors are in a "cold shutdown" state and no longer releasing high levels of radiation.

BBC: Fukushima: Rat linked to outage at Japan nuclear plant

For example, the bright snow- and ice-covered landscapes of Canada and Siberia during winter reflect most solar radiation straight back into space, keeping the surface cold.

BBC: Earthshine map helps predict weather

The new work focuses instead on cold, dense masses of gas that have markedly less random motion, and which emit their radiation in the microwave part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

BBC: Supermassive black hole weighed using new scale