Long wavelength radio science: Inspirations from astronomy

The last decade has been witness to precision cosmology via measurements of the cosmic microwave background. More recently, the window of exploration and discovery in radio astronomy has moved to long wavelengths where solutions to frontier problems in many areas of astrophysics have vital clues. A key science is the detection of trace spatial and spectral signatures in the sky brightness at long wavelengths arising from events at the cosmic dawn that are associated with the formation of first stars and galaxies and their impact on the gas. I review astrophysics that inspires innovation in long wavelength radio science.