The Innovation Platform spoke with Viola Sordini, researcher at IP2I Lyon (CNRS) and deputy spokesperson of the Virgo Collaboration within the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) network, about the recently released Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalogue-4.0 (GWTC-4) and its significance for understanding gravitational waves and fundamental physics. The recent publication of the Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalogue-4.0 presents 128 new events detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration from May 2023 to January 2024, marking a significant milestone in our understanding of the Universe. This extensive compilation provides insights into diverse binary systems, enhances our understanding of black hole formation and cosmic evolution and offers an additional method to validate the theory of general relativity. The Innovation Platform spoke with Viola Sordini, researcher at IP2I Lyon (CNRS) and deputy spokesperson of the Virgo Collaboration, to discuss the findings from the catalogue and the implications of advancing our understanding of gravitational waves for fundamental physics and the Universe. Can you provide a brief summary of gravitational waves and explain why understanding them can help us better understand the Universe? The short answer is that gravitational …