Big Bang recreated at LHC - almost
Geneva - Scientists at the world's largest atom smasher say they have succeeded in recreating conditions shortly after the Big Bang by switching the particles used for collisions from protons to much heavier lead ions.
A spokesperson for the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) said the Large Hadron Collider recorded its first lead ion collisions on Sunday.
Barbara Warmbein said researchers are trying to detect a thick soup of matter called "quark-gluon plasma" in the hope of gaining a deeper insight into how the universe began.
Warmbein said on Monday that it will likely be months, if not years, before scientists make significant new discoveries.