Weasel Apparently Shuts Down World's Most Powerful Particle Collider

55.74% credibility
 
Related

10 Vitamins women should take to prevent serious health problems!

Luffy News
360 points

This mom s punishment for her son is getting praise from all over the world

Luffy News
452 points



Most recent

Descubre la serenidad en noviembre con el exclusivo tratamiento 'Conexión' de Sieshua Spa

Mariana Ortiz
6 points

Mediapro estaría interesada en adquirir la TV Pública de Argentina tras anuncio de privatización

NOTICIAS SIN CENSURA
20 points

Las megatendencias que determinarán las ventas en Latinoamérica de Tech & Durables en 2024

Juan C
10 points

"Síndrome metabólico": La nueva enfermedad del siglo XXI

NOTICIAS-ETF
96 points

Celebra el fin de año con estilo en Residence Inn by Marriott Bogotá

Mariana Ortiz
6 points

Sector LGBT emplaza al oficialista partido morena el respeto a sus espacios conquistados

La Voz de México
288 points

ENERVANTES Y LEUDANTES DE DEUDAS PUNITIVAS

Octavio Cruz Gonzalez
18 points

Y a la noche se le fue la mano

El diario de Enrique
12 points

Hoy, descanso, es viernes

El diario de Enrique
8 points

Visit Santa Marta, líder en la Categoría Emprendimiento de Impacto de Colombia 4.0

Comunicaciones
6 points
SHARE
TWEET
A small mammal has sabotaged the world's most powerful scientific instrument.

Weasel Apparently Shuts Down World's Most Powerful Particle Collider

The Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile superconducting machine designed to smash protons together at close to the speed of light, went offline overnight. Engineers investigating the mishap found the charred remains of a furry creature near a gnawed-through power cable.

"We had electrical problems, and we are pretty sure this was caused by a small animal," says Arnaud Marsollier, head of press for CERN, the organization that runs the $7 billion particle collider in Switzerland. Although they had not conducted a thorough analysis of the remains, Marsollier says they believe the creature was "a weasel, probably." (Update: An official briefing document from CERN indicates the creature may have been a marten.)

The shutdown comes as the LHC was preparing to collect new data on the Higgs Boson, a fundamental particle it discovered in 2012. The Higgs is believed to endow other particles with mass, and it is considered to be a cornerstone of the modern theory of particle physics.

Researchers have seen some hints in recent data that other, yet-undiscovered particles might also be generated inside the LHC. If those other particles exist, they could revolutionize researcher's understanding of everything from the laws of gravity, to quantum mechanics.

Unfortunately, Marsollier says, scientists will have to wait while workers bring the machine back online. Repairs will take a few days, but getting the machine fully ready to smash might take another week or two. "It may be mid-May," he says.

These sorts of mishaps are not unheard of, says Marsollier. The LHC is located outside of Geneva. "We are in the countryside, and of course we have wild animals everywhere." There have been previous incidents, including one in 2009, when a bird is believed to have dropped a baguette onto critical electrical systems.

Nor are the problems exclusive to the LHC: In 2006, raccoons conducted a "coordinated" attack on a particle accelerator in Illinois.

It is unclear whether the animals are trying to stop humanity from unlocking the secrets of the universe.

Of course, small mammals cause problems in all sorts of organizations. Yesterday, a group of children took National Public Radio off the air for over a minute before engineers could restore the broadcast.

Fuente: www.npr.org
SHARE
TWEET
To comment you must log in with your account or sign up!
Featured content