'Huge' Physics Finding Supports Big Bang Theory
Space-time curvature An artist's conception of the way the mass of Earth warps space-time. Gravitational waves are tiny ripples in this fabric of space-time. Johnstone via Wikimedia Commons Scientists announced today (March 17) that they had found the first direct evidence of the dramatic expansion that created the known universe, known as cosmic inflation, or the "bang" in the Big Bang. This dramatic expansion is thought to have occurred in the first instants of existence, nearly 14 billion years ago, causing the universe to expand beyond the reach of the most powerful telescopes. In 1979, a physicist named Alan Guth came up with the theory of cosmic inflation, and theorized that such an event would create ripples in space-time called gravitational waves. But their existence remained hypothetical. Today, a team of researchers said that...