Henceforth, galaxy formation can be said to be a tool for testing cosmological models. They are a combined so called N-body method for self gravitating gas dynamics. This is because the hot gas that is formed in the early Universe cools due to radiation losses, and can thereby form a structure that is compact enough to be comparable with that of galaxies. Gas dynamics and the previously mentioned cooling processes are important on smaller scales. The formation of stars can in this context only be taken into consideration with very simplified models.
Massive stars explodes after only a few ten million years as enormously energetic supernovae.
One of the most pronounced results is a new scenario for the formation of elliptical galaxies, which have so far been unclear to a high degree. Though a bit early to say definitely, some observations indicate that this scenario needs more time than the 13 billion years the assumed cosmological model admits. If continued work shows that more time is really needed, this may exclude one of the so far most popular cosmological models. It is difficult to claim that science should still have increasing funding when schools and health-care have been cut back, but things would have been bad as they were. This is new science.