  But a few physicists weren't worrying about Al Gore in the
1990s. They were theorizing about another possible factor in
climate change: charged subatomic particles from outer space, or
"cosmic rays," whose atmospheric levels appear to rise and fall
with the weakness or strength of solar winds that deflect them
from the earth. These shifts might significantly impact the type
and quantity of clouds covering the earth, providing a clue to
one of the least-understood but most important questions about
climate. Heavenly bodies might be driving long-term weather
trends.  The theory has now moved from the corners of climate
skepticism to the center of the physical-science universe: the
European Organization for Nuclear Research, also known as CERN.
At the Franco-Swiss home of the world's most powerful particle
accelerator, scientists have been shooting simulated cosmic rays
into a cloud chamber to isolate and measure their contribution
to cloud formation. CERN's researchers reported last month that
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