Konwersatorium im. Leopolda Infelda

General relativity ushered-in the era of modern cosmology. The resultingFriedmann models ---and perturbations thereof--- have enjoyed anastonishing degree of observational success. But general relativity isincomplete because it ignores the quantum nature of gravity. It predictsthat space-time comes to an end and physics stops at singularities. Recentdevelopments in non-perturbative quantum gravity have shown that thesepredictions cannot be trusted. Specifically, quantum geometry effects canresolve singularities, thereby opening new vistas. My talk will coverthese foundational issues and discuss implications of the new Planck scalephysics near the Big Bang.