... Credit Copyright: BICEP2 Collaboration , NSF , Steffen Richter (Harvard) Explanation: Did the universe undergo an early epoch of extremely rapid expansion? ... Yesterday, results were released showing an expected signal of unexpected strength, bolstering a prediction of inflation that specific patterns of polarization should exist in cosmic microwave background radiation -- light emitted 13.8 billion years ago as the universe first became transparent . ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...