Questioning the Big Bang

Sean Carroll has a long post at Cosmic Variance, talking about the usual explanations of early universe physics, and why there are some good reasons to question these ideas. All the currently fashionable (and not-so-fashionable) ideas are discussed, with some good explanations for those, like me, who are not up to speed with all the myriad theories.

It is a long article, with a long discussion in the comments section as well, but well worth the effort if you want to know about the current trends. There is also an article in the New Scientist about some of the same ideas, which might be more accessible for non-physicists.