What is the latest research on CMB anisotropy and its implications?

[Chronos]

Here is the latest entry in the CMB anisotropy derby:
The Multipole Vectors of WMAP, and their frames and invariants
http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0502574

The authors, Land and Magueijo, are prominent among the more active researchers in this arena. They apply an apparently more sophisticated analytical approach to some of the more interesting anomolies, and the paper concludes with:

We find no evidence for inherent anisotropy or Non-Gaussianity.

Of course one should avoid reading too much into that before reading the text that precedes it.

 

[Garth]

The final paragraph from that paper

We conclude that the Multipole Vector method with the anchor vectors is technically ideal, but in practice is very limited by noise. In its application we have found no evidence for anisotropy or non-gaussianity. However, we feel that in light of other reported results this is because our method overlooks subtle features in the data. What we gain in thoroughness, we loose in sensitivity. We find no evidence for inherent anisotropy or Non-Gaussianity.

Rather inconclusive then.

Garth

 

[selfAdjoint]

Looks to me that we have reached a point of duelling methodologies where anything striking carries a rich smell of artifact.