  I summarize recent work on (1) constraining spike-like features in the cosmic
microwave background and large scale structure; (2) nonstandard Friedmann
equation in stabilized warped 6D brane cosmology, with applications to
inflation; and (3) nonlocal inflation models, motivated by string theory, which
can yield large nongaussian CMB fluctuations. Work in collaboration with N.
Barnaby, T. Biswas, F. Chen, L. Hoi, G. Holder and S. Kanno.
