I was one of the first to know gravitational waves are real

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) made history last week when it announced the first direct discovery of the ripples in space-time predicted by Albert Einstein 100 years ago. But the LIGO team is infamous for testing its system by inserting fake signals that are only revealed to be false at the last minute. New Scientist caught up with Matthew Evans of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was part of the team responsible for creating those false signals, to find out how it felt to be one of the first to know the truth.