TL;DR - To The Ends of the Universe

    Scientific American, March 2012 -- "The Far, Far Future of Stars," Donald Goldsmith

    The universe had a beginning, and will, ultimately, have an end (...probably).  Fortunately we're living somewhere in the middle, because this is where it gets exciting.  Goldsmith describes theoretical predictions and models of how the universe will develop over the coming billions and trillions of years, in which we'll see (okay, we probably won't be around, but maybe someone will see) a dramatic decrease in the rate of star formation.  Yet as stars mature, the rate of production of heavy elements will ramp up, which will ultimately fuel an increase in planetary formation--Goldsmith claims that 1/2 to 2/3rds of the planets that will ever exist have not yet been created.  With many more planets, despite the fact that they will in general be orbiting weaker suns, there will be many more chances for appropriate conditions for fostering life to arise.  So before we get to the predicted "not with a bang, but with a whimper" slow heat death of the universe, it may become a much more lively place.