  The Hubble expansion of galaxies, the $2.73\dK$ blackbody radiation
background and the cosmic abundances of the light elements argue for a hot,
dense origin of the universe --- the standard Big Bang cosmology --- and enable
its evolution to be traced back fairly reliably to the nucleosynthesis era when
the temperature was of $\Or(1)$ MeV corresponding to an expansion age of
$\Or(1)$ sec. All particles, known and hypothetical, would have been created at
higher temperatures in the early universe and analyses of their possible
effects on the abundances of the synthesized elements enable many interesting
constraints to be obtained on particle properties. These arguments have
usefully complemented laboratory experiments in guiding attempts to extend
physics beyond the Standard $SU(3)_{\c}{\otimes}SU(2)_{\L}{\otimes}U(1)_{Y}$
Model, incorporating ideas such as supersymmetry, compositeness and
unification. We first present a pedagogical account of relativistic cosmology
and primordial nucleosynthesis, discussing both theoretical and observational
aspects, and then proceed to examine such constraints in detail, in particular
those pertaining to new massless particles and massive unstable particles.
Finally, in a section aimed at particle physicists, we illustrate applications
of such constraints to models of new physics.
