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This Discovery Could Help Us Hear The Sounds Of The Big Bang

Turns out, Einstein's theory was right.
The collision of two black holes - a tremendously powerful event detected for the first time ever by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO - is seen in this still image from a computer simulation released in Washington February 11, 2016. Scientists have for the first time detected gravitational waves, ripples in space and time hypothesized by Albert Einstein a century ago, in a landmark discovery announced on Thursday that opens a new window for studying the cosmos. REUTERS/The SXS (Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes)/Handout via Reuters FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Reuters Photographer / Reuters
The collision of two black holes - a tremendously powerful event detected for the first time ever by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO - is seen in this still image from a computer simulation released in Washington February 11, 2016. Scientists have for the first time detected gravitational waves, ripples in space and time hypothesized by Albert Einstein a century ago, in a landmark discovery announced on Thursday that opens a new window for studying the cosmos. REUTERS/The SXS (Simulating eXtreme Spacetimes)/Handout via Reuters FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Scientists confirmed last year what Albert Einstein had predicted 100 years ago in his general theory of relativity. Physicists from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory detected gravitational waves, or ripples in spacetime, for the first time ever.

But what exactly does the research mean and how will it impact scientific discoveries in the future?

In the latest episode of The Huffington Post's "Talk Nerdy to Me," Caltech physics professor Rana Adhikari and host Karah Preiss explain how gravitational waves could one day help us hear the sounds of the Big Bang.

Check it out in the video above.

This video was produced by Adriane Giebel, Karah Preiss and Liz Martinez, edited by Adriane Giebel and Mark Dubbs, and shot by Terence Krey, Mike Caravella, Steve Gatti, Ian MacInnes and Sonia Narang.

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