Scientists have recently developed a new way to `see' the universe, using gravitational waves predicted by Einstein over a century ago. These waves can teach us about some of the most exotic objects known, including black holes and neutron stars. Remarkably, they have also helped solve a longstanding puzzle about where in the Universe some of the elements we know and love here on Earth are produced, including gold, platinum and uranium. Eliot Quataert will describe the exciting and remarkable new results coming out of our first steps into the gravitational wave era.