The NSF-funded BICEP 2 collaboration has announced what is believed to be the first direct evidence supporting a key element of the universe's birth theory. Researchers discovered polarization patterns in the cosmic microwave background, suggesting gravitational waves from the Big Bang. This discovery, pending peer review, supports the cosmic inflation theory, which describes the rapid expansion of the universe shortly after the Big Bang. The BICEP 2 team, led by the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, used specialized detectors at the South Pole to achieve this significant cosmological goal.

What did the NSF-funded research collaboration announce?

• The discovery of a new planet

• The first direct evidence supporting a key element of the universe's birth theory

• A new method for space travel

• The end of the universe

What are the patterns of polarization in the cosmic microwave background best explained by?

• Magnetic fields

• Gravitational waves

• Solar flares

• Dark matter

What does the discovery of gravitational waves suggest about the early universe?

• It expanded rapidly after the Big Bang

• It was colder than expected

• It was filled with dark matter

• It was static and unchanging

Which institutions were involved in the BICEP 2 collaboration?

• NASA and SpaceX

• Oxford University and Cambridge University

• Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and Caltech

• MIT and CERN

What is considered one of the most important goals in cosmology today?

• Mapping the entire universe

• Developing faster-than-light travel

• Detecting the signal of gravitational waves

• Finding new galaxies