Energy 'echo' of early universe passes crucial test

A study of microwaves from outer space brings new support to standard scientific theory about the early history of the universe.

Scientists studied the cosmic microwave background, the oldest observable radiation in space. It bears information about the state of the universe some 14 billion years ago, only about 400,000 years after the big bang.

The new work studied polarization, which is basically the orientation of the vibrations that form the microwaves. Standard theory about the early universe made predictions about what the results should be, and the new observations fit those expectations.

"With these results, contemporary cosmology has passed a long anticipated and crucial test," the study authors. If the test had not been passed, they said, many theories would have been "cast into doubt."