Our first glimpses into the physics that exist near the center of a black hole are being made possible using “loop quantum gravity”—a theory that uses quantum mechanics to extend gravitational physics beyond Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Loop quantum gravity, originated at Penn State and subsequently developed by a large number of scientists worldwide, is opening up a new paradigm in modern physics. The theory has emerged as a leading candidate to analyze extreme cosmological and astrophysical phenomena in parts of the universe, like black holes, where the equations of general relativity cease to be useful.