The paper combines Lyman-α forest (LYA) power spectrum data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data from the 3-year WMAP mission, supernovae (SN) data, and galaxy clustering constraints to derive new cosmological parameters. The authors improve the existing LYA power spectrum analysis by incorporating constraints on the mean flux decrement derived from principal component analysis of quasar continua, which enhances the constraints on the linear power spectrum. They find a tension between the WMAP3 and LYA power spectrum amplitudes at the ∼2σ level, which is partially alleviated by other observations. The results yield σ8 = 0.85 ± 0.02 and ns = 0.965 ± 0.012, with no evidence for running of the spectral index. The limits on the sum of neutrino masses are significantly improved, with ∑mν < 0.17eV at 95% confidence. The analysis also constraints the dark energy equation of state, curvature, and cosmic strings, providing insights into the nature of dark matter and the early universe.The paper combines Lyman-α forest (LYA) power spectrum data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) with cosmic microwave background (CMB) data from the 3-year WMAP mission, supernovae (SN) data, and galaxy clustering constraints to derive new cosmological parameters. The authors improve the existing LYA power spectrum analysis by incorporating constraints on the mean flux decrement derived from principal component analysis of quasar continua, which enhances the constraints on the linear power spectrum. They find a tension between the WMAP3 and LYA power spectrum amplitudes at the ∼2σ level, which is partially alleviated by other observations. The results yield σ8 = 0.85 ± 0.02 and ns = 0.965 ± 0.012, with no evidence for running of the spectral index. The limits on the sum of neutrino masses are significantly improved, with ∑mν < 0.17eV at 95% confidence. The analysis also constraints the dark energy equation of state, curvature, and cosmic strings, providing insights into the nature of dark matter and the early universe.