Dust, its composition, and evolution in the universe

Interstellar dust plays a crucial role in the formation of stars and the evolution and assembly of galaxies. Extinction provides an indirect measure of the enrichment process and conditions within an environment. Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are excellent probes for studying dust and metals in the distant universe, since they unveil the intergalactic medium along the line of sight and the interstellar medium surrounding the GRB event within its host galaxy. For the first time, we derive individual extinction curves of these cosmological sources, finding different forms from the typically used Small Magellanic Cloud type extinction curve. The shape of these extinction curves also provides clues to the dust's grain composition. Furthermore, looking for dust content in redshift z=0-8 GRBs, suggests a transition in dust properties and/or available dust building blocks. GRBs are providing us an outlook of metals and dust properties in the distant universe, through larger samples and exploitation of the potential of the data.