100 years after Albert Einstein predicted their existence, scientists in 2015 detected gravitational waves for the first time ever. The historic discovery was the culmination of decades of research and hard work.

Distinguished Professor Susan Scott, from the Australian National University, was a senior member of the gravitational wave detection team and played a leading role in Australia’s participation in that discovery.

In this episode, Professor Scott explains what gravitational waves are and why it’s so important we study them. Plus, we explore the theoretical and technological efforts that allowed researchers to finally detect the waves.

Our host is Dr James Nichols, a mathematician and Lecturer at the Australian National University.