Missed this one too: From “Astronomers Find Clouds of Primordial Gas from the Early Universe, Just Moments After Big Bang” (ScienceDaily, Nov. 10, 2011), we learn:
For the first time, astronomers have found pristine clouds of the primordial gas that formed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang. The composition of the gas matches theoretical predictions, providing direct evidence in support of the modern cosmological explanation for the origins of elements in the universe.
As hard as we’ve tried to find pristine material in the universe, we have failed until now. This is the first time we’ve observed pristine gas uncontaminated by heavier elements from stars,”
“The lack of metals tells us this gas is pristine,” Fumagalli said. “It’s quite exciting, because it’s the first evidence that fully matches the composition of the primordial gas predicted by the Big Bang theory.”
Of course, many astronomers have never liked the Big Bang theory and long to see its fall, so this isn’t exactly an early Christmas present.
By the way, mathematician David Berlinski, who hangs out with ID folk, wrote a paper for Commentary in 1998, arguing that the matter was hardly settled.