Janna Levin chats with Rainer Weiss, a pioneering physicist and MIT professor who helped develop the LIGO detector, alongside comedian Matt Kirshen. They delve into the fascinating world of gravitational waves, exploring their significance and relation to black holes. Rainer shares personal anecdotes about teaching relativity and the early skepticism faced in securing funding for LIGO. The conversation demystifies complex scientific concepts, linking Einstein's revolutionary ideas to our understanding of the universe, and highlights the challenges in detecting these cosmic ripples.

The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded to Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and Kip S. Thorne for their contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves. The podcast discusses the significance of their discovery and their background in the field.