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The origin of the Universe, with Prof Thomas Hertog

Instant Genius

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The Big Bang Theory and the Expansion of the Universe

There's a sort of background hung that's left in the universe, right? Yeah, I'd say so. The heat of that early universe can't just disappear because it's literally all of space that is heated up in these earliest moments. So the heat of the big bang with the expansion of the universe can cool down, but it can't disappear because the universe is all there is. And so that was a key prediction. If the big bang theory were right, we should somehow be immersed right now in the cold afterglow of that primeval heat. Decades later in the 60s, that afterglow that hum, as you say, was observed, was found.

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