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G. H. Rieke (Steward Observatory, University of Arizona)
The behavior of interstellar gas and dust is responsible for many intriguing mysteries of the Universe. The far infrared/submm spectral region has a special importance for probing this behavior. New missions in the next decade will advance our understanding of the FIR/Submm Universe, but will leave us orders of magnitude behind the capabilities of the surrounding spectral regions by 2010. With a new and large space-based, cold telescope, we can make huge advances in understanding: 1.) how stars and Galaxies emerged from the Big Bang; 2.) the formation of AGNs; 3.) the dynamical and chemical evolution of galaxies and stars; 4.) the birth and evolution of stars and planetary systems; 5.) the nature and formation of the Solar System; and 6.) comet and asteroid impacts and the origin of life. In addition, such a telescope has unmatched discovery potential.