CERN, the biggest machine ever made, is about to do the most risky scientific experiment the world has ever known.
“(CERN) is a European research organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, the organization is based in a northwest suburb of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border, (46°14′3″N 6°3′19″E) and has 22 member states. Israel is the first (and currently only) non-European country granted full membership.[3]
The term CERN is also used to refer to the laboratory, which in 2013 had 2,513 staff members, and hosted some 12,313 fellows, associates, apprentices as well as visiting scientists and engineers[4] representing 608 universities and research facilities.[5]
CERN’s main function is to provide the particle accelerators and other infrastructure needed for high-energy physics research – as a result, numerous experiments have been constructed at CERN as a result of international collaborations.
CERN is also the birthplace of the World Wide Web. The main site at Meyrin has a large computer facility containing powerful data processing facilities, primarily for experimental-data analysis; because of the need to make these facilities available to researchers elsewhere, it has historically been a major wide area networking hub.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN)
While understanding CERN’s mission is above the interest level of the average person, it would be foolish to skip over the few news items about its program that make it to your favourite news channel. CERN’s experiments may have catastrophic for everybody on earth, yet there is no democratic oversight for it. When renowned scientists such as Stephen Hawking are worried about it, it is something that you should know about.
CERN’s next experiment is planned for later this month.
Learn here about 10 mind-blowing facts about the CERN Large Collider you need to know.
