Astronomers using a sensitive new instrument have lifted a dusty veil shrouding the universe to reveal galaxies forming at a furious pace much deeper in space and far earlier in time than expected. A pair of studies to be published Thursday in the journal Nature describe developing "starburst" galaxies observed for the first time in patches of space at least 11 billion light-years from Earth. The galaxies were detected indirectly, by energy emissions.

(? CNN)