Recent advances in String Theory model building allow for the
creation of more realistic models of the Universe. The visible
universe is located inside D-branes and the field content is the one
required to describe the Standard Model. Moreover, the space is warped,
which provides a possible solution to the hierarchy problem.
We investigate the early time cosmology of such models and show how
observations can provide a way to measure the parameters of the
underlying theory. We also discuss the formation of cosmic strings and
how they can provide an observational window into physics at energies
inaccessible by other means.