How did George Smoot prove the Big Bang?
I didn't prove the Big Bang alone—science is a collaborative effort—but the COBE satellite data I helped lead provided the clinching evidence. Before COBE, there were competing theories like the steady-state model. Our measurement of the CMB's spectrum showed it matched a blackbody curve with extraordinary precision, which only the Big Bang predicts. Then, by detecting the anisotropies, we showed that the early universe wasn't perfectly smooth—it had the seeds for structure. As I often say, 'Data is the final arbiter.' That data, combined with later missions like WMAP and Planck, turned the Big Bang from a hypothesis into a standard model. It's a triumph of the scientific method: if you're not confused, you're not paying attention, but the data clears the confusion.
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