I’m not sure what this has to do with “gene-environment interactions“, … except there would be no discussions and no emails to share this topic –– had it not been for the Big Bang followed by the onset of Gravity in the universe. This physics experiment [ref below] is simply “too cool” to stay calm about. It was precisely 1916 that Albert Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves. However, detecting and proving them directly required mind-boggling technological prowess.
Researchers at both the Laser Interferometer-Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGOs) in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana, researchers sensed a wave that stretched space by one part in 1,021 parts––making the entire planet of Earth expand and contract by 1/100,000 of a nanometer (0.01 picometers)––about the width of an atomic nucleus. This observation therefore tested and proved Einstein’s theory of gravity, the general theory of relativity, with unprecedented rigor. Furthermore, this provides proof positive that black holes exist.
A long time ago, deep in space, two massive black holes––the ultrastrong gravitational fields left behind by gigantic stars that hd collapsed to infinitesimal points––slowly drew together. The stellar ghosts spiraled ever closer, until, about 1.3 billion years ago, they whirled about each other at half the speed of light and finally merged. The collision sent “a shudder” through the universe: ripples in the fabric of space and time called gravitational waves. Five months ago, these waves washed past Earth. And, for the first time, physicists detected the waves, fulfilling a 4-decade quest and opening new eyes on the heavens. This discovery marks a majojr triumph for the 1,000 LIGO physicists, who were operating a pair of gigantic instruments in Hanford WA and Livingston LA. The LIGO team made this discovery official by announcing it at on 11 Feb press conference in Wash DC.
Science 12 Feb 2o16; 351: 645–646