Nearly a month ago, astronomers announced a remarkable discovery: the strongest evidence so far for the theory of cosmic inflation, the hyper-rapid expansion following the Big Bang. This was joyful news for Andrei Linde, the cosmologist who had played a key role in developing inflation theory in the 1970s and '80s. Clive Cookson, FT science editor, spoke to professor Linde from his home at Stanford University in California. For information regarding your data privacy, visit acast.com/privacy