general theory of relativity

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Einstein Said It Would Never Be Seen. It Just Was

Astronomers observe gravitational microlensing between distant stars

(Newser) - Astronomers just proved the great Albert Einstein wrong—by proving him right. Einstein's 1915 theory of relativity says gravity can distort light and alter its path. National Geographic reports Einstein posited that would create a phenomenon called gravitational microlensing between two stars appearing to pass in front of each...

4 Reactions to the Gravitational Waves Discovery

'I'm delighted'

(Newser) - After weeks of speculation, a team of LIGO scientists announced the long-awaited discovery of gravitational waves on Thursday. The discovery confirms a portion of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity 100 years after he first predicted gravitational waves. A lot of people were understandably excited. Here are some of...

Teen Explains Relativity With Popcorn, Nabs $400K

Meet the winner of the Breakthrough Junior Challenge

(Newser) - To most people who aren't physicists, Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity is probably just a vague concept that somehow explains why Matthew McConaughey doesn't age in Interstellar . But to 18-year-old Ryan Chester, it's easy to explain—which is exactly what he's done in a...

Hawking: 'Black Holes Ain't as Black as Painted'

Physicist claims to have solved the information paradox

(Newser) - "If you feel you are in a black hole, don't give up. There's a way out." So says Stephen Hawking in claiming to have resolved the so-called information paradox—the seemingly irreconcilable problem of two well-accepted tenets involving black holes. Quantum mechanics dictates that the information...

Experiment Proves Einstein Right About Universe

It's expanding just how he said it should

(Newser) - A new experiment has proven another of Einstein's theories to be right on the money. Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts the speed at which galaxies move toward each other and the rate at which the universe is expanding. A team of cosmologists recently measured a slice of...

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