The team behind the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe ( 2011 ) , which accurately dated the age of the universe ( 2 billion years old ) , its composition and the timing of its expansion , has been awarded this year 's $ 3 m Breakthrough prize in fundamental physics . The award , founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan , among others , is the largest individual cash prize in science . The WMAP team previously won the Shaw Prize for astronomy in 2010 and the Gruber Prize in cosmology in 2012 .
The team behind the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), which accurately dated the age of the universe (13.8 billion years old), its composition and the speed of its expansion, has been awarded this year's $3m Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics. The award, founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, among others, is the largest individual cash prize in science. The WMAP team previously won the Shaw Prize for astronomy in 2010 and the Gruber Prize in cosmology in 2012.