Watch The Moment A Scientist Gets Told His Life’s Work Has Been Proven Right

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Thirty years ago, Professor Andrei Linde had a theory. This is how he found out that it’s now one step closer to being a fact.

1. This is the moment physicist Andrei Linde was told of the discovery of gravitational waves – the long-missing proof of a theory he helped develop more than thirty years ago.

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZlfIVEy_YOA. youtube.com

2. Linde is one of the fathers of the “inflationary universe” theory – a key part of modern physics.

Linde is one of the fathers of the "inflationary universe" theory - a key part of modern physics.

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Stanford University/Creative Commons / Via youtube.com

Linde’s wife, Renata Kallosh – a theoretical physicist who made major contributions to the understanding of how inflation ties in with string theory – was also there to hear the news.

3. Despite its importance, until yesterday’s gravitational waves announcement, we’d only had indirect evidence to support Linde’s work – there was no direct proof.

Despite its importance, until yesterday's gravitational waves announcement , we'd only had indirect evidence to support Linde's work - there was no direct proof.

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Stanford University/Creative Commons / Via youtube.com

The news was delivered by fellow Stanford physicist Chao-Lin Kuo, who worked on the BICEP2 experiment at the South Pole that deected the gravitational waves. If the results are confirmed, they’ll represent one of the most significant breakthroughs in cosmology in a long time.

4. Kallosh initially thought that the knock on the door was a delivery – and asked if Linde had ordered anything. “I ordered it thirty years ago, finally it arrived…” he joked afterwards.

Kallosh initially thought that the knock on the door was a delivery - and asked if Linde had ordered anything. "I ordered it thirty years ago, finally it arrived..." he joked afterwards.

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Stanford University/Creative Commons / Via youtube.com

5. Linde says: “If this is true, this is a moment of understanding of nature of such magnitude that it just overwhelms.”

Linde says: "If this is true, this is a moment of understanding of nature of such magnitude that it just overwhelms."

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Stanford University/Creative Commons / Via youtube.com

LINK

8 Things You Should Know About Gravitational Waves

Read more: http://buzzfeed.com/tomphillips/watch-the-moment-a-scientist-gets-told-his-lifes-work-has-be

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