  A brief review of effective SU(2) Yang-Mills thermodynamics in the
deconfining phase is given, including the construction of the thermal
ground-state estimate in terms of an inert, adjoint scalar field $\phi$, based
on non-propagating (anti)selfdual field configurations of topological charge
unity. We explain why the screening physics of an SU(2) photon is subject to an
electric-magnetically dual interpretation. Next, we elucidate how a
low-frequency excess of line temperature in the Cosmic Microwave Background
(CMB) determines the value of the critical temperature of the
deconfining-preconfining phase transition of an SU(2) Yang-Mills theory
postulated to describe photon propagation, and we describe how, starting at a
redshift of about unity, SU(2) photons collectively work 3D temperature
depressions into the CMB. Upon projection along a line of sight, a given
depression influences the present CMB sky in a cosmologically local way,
possibly explaining the large-angle anomalies confirmed recently by the Planck
collaboration. Finally, six relativistic polarisations residing in the SU(2)
vector modes roughly match the number of degrees of freedom in cosmic neutrinos
(Planck) which would disqualify the latter as radiation. Indeed, if interpreted
as single center-vortex loops in confining phases of SU(2) Yang-Mills theories
neutrino mass $m_\nu$ solely arises by interactions with an environment.
Cosmologically, the CMB represents this environment, and thus one would expect
that $m_\nu=\xi T$ where $\xi=O(1)$. In this model cosmic neutrinos are a small
dark-matter contribution, conserved only together with the CMB fluid,
influencing Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations during CMB decoupling.
