Latest news with #CERN


India.com
a day ago
- Science
- India.com
This is most expensive substance in Universe, even one gram costs Rs 5270000000000000, it is..., can be used for…
To poets, philosophers, and hopeless romantics, love might be seen as the most precious thing in the world. But when it comes to tangible creations, the ultra-rich set their sights on rare and extravagant possessions—think Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi or the one-of-a-kind Bugatti La Voiture Noire. However, the most expensive material on Earth is not gold, diamonds, or the latest crypto coin backed by billionaires. It is something much more mysterious—and much more precious. This is most expensive substance in Universe, even one gram costs Rs 5270000000000000! To put things into better perspective, just one gram of this rare material could buy every lifestyle yacht, mansion, and private island in the world—and even give you enough change to fund your space program. The $400 million Boeing 747 private jet, recently gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari royal family, grabbed global attention for its sheer luxury and jaw-dropping value. But to truly grasp the worth of the most expensive substance on Earth, consider this: just one gram of it is enough to buy 155,000 of those ultra-luxurious jets—and still have money to spare. So what it is? Any guesses? What is Antimatter? The answer? Antimatter—a material that you can find as an actual part of physics, a fancy book from particle physics labs, or a thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is commonly described as the mirror or the 'evil twin' of regular matter. For every particle that one knows about, such as a proton or electron, antimatter has its counterpart that has the same mass but opposite electric charge. And what happens when matter and antimatter meet? They annihilate each other in a burst of energy that is sufficiently powerfultant to easily outrun a supernova. The downside? Antimatter is incredibly hard to make—and even harder to store! Scientists have the capability to make it in facilities like CERN's Large Hadron Collider, but only in minuscule quantities, and at a massive energy and time expenditure. So far, only a handful of nanograms have ever been made, and none have lasted long enough to seriously consider actually opening up a bank account, much less sit down with a financial advisor. So, why bother with something that is so hard to pinpoint? Antimatter could eventually change the future of energy and space travel. In theory, just one gram of antimatter could produce the same energy equivalent of a nuclear bomb without the prolonged radioactive fallout. The potential is great, but the task is enormous. Until scientists figure out how to contain it safely and make it economically viable it will remain less a source of power and more a science fiction possibility – shimmering just beyond the portal of possibility. Antimatter has an estimated price of around $62 trillion per gram—that's 62 lakh crore dollars for a minuscule amount of substance. Antimatter is now a more valuable substance than the total combined wealth of most continents, and that makes it the most expensive material ever known to existence.


Sustainability Times
3 days ago
- Science
- Sustainability Times
'CERN Achieves Unbelievable Feat': These Chilling -456°F Giant 20-Ton Magnets Drive 10x More Particle Collisions in a Mind-Blowing Scientific Milestone
IN A NUTSHELL 🚀 CERN engineers are completing a crucial test facility for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, enhancing particle collision capabilities. are completing a crucial test facility for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, enhancing particle collision capabilities. ❄️ The new superconducting magnets, made from a niobium-tin alloy , operate at an extremely cold -456°F to achieve superconductivity. , operate at an extremely cold -456°F to achieve superconductivity. 🔍 The upgraded collider aims to increase luminosity by a factor of ten, allowing for more detailed studies of particles like the Higgs boson. by a factor of ten, allowing for more detailed studies of particles like the Higgs boson. 🧪 This project not only tests technical capabilities but also serves as a training ground for future installation and commissioning in the LHC tunnel. In the ever-evolving world of particle physics, the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) represents a monumental leap forward. Engineers at CERN are on the brink of completing a pivotal facility that is critical for this next-generation upgrade, which aims to significantly enhance the discovery potential of the world's most powerful particle accelerator. As a full-scale replica of the new segments designed to operate at an extremely cold -456°F, this facility marks a crucial milestone. The intricate process involves precise positioning of components weighing up to 20 tons, utilizing advanced handling equipment. This development promises to unlock new insights into fundamental physics. Boosting Delivery Potential with Advanced Magnets The HL-LHC project aims to increase the accelerator's luminosity, or the number of particle collisions, by a factor of ten. This dramatic enhancement will allow physicists to probe known particles, such as the Higgs boson, with unprecedented accuracy and propel the quest for new physics that could elucidate mysteries like dark matter. This leap forward is driven by novel superconducting quadrupole magnets, crafted from an innovative niobium-tin alloy. These magnets are capable of generating a magnetic field of 11.3 tesla, a significant upgrade from the existing 8.3-tesla magnets. To achieve the necessary superconductivity, these 20-ton magnets must be cooled with superfluid helium to a temperature of 1.9 Kelvin, colder than deep space. The current test assembly, referred to as the 'IT String,' is essential for ensuring that all components function cohesively under these extreme conditions before their eventual integration into the main LHC tunnel. This endeavor is not just a technological challenge but a gateway to a new era of particle physics exploration. 'Scientists Stunned as CERN Unveils Tiny Particle': Groundbreaking Discovery at Large Hadron Collider Sends Shockwaves Through Physics Community Strategic Testing and Training The test stand serves as a crucial platform for evaluating how various circuits perform collectively under realistic conditions. According to Marta Bajko, head of the IT String project, this phase allows for the fine-tuning of installation procedures, preparing for their eventual commissioning during the LHC's third long shutdown. The assembly's technical complexity is immense, involving a power supply line carrying over 100,000 amperes and approximately 70 intricate interconnections using specialized brazing techniques to ensure the continuity of the superconducting circuits. This testing phase is not only about technical validation but also about training. It provides teams with the opportunity to gain practical experience in a controlled environment before transitioning to the main LHC tunnel. As the installation and validation work continues, the team is gearing up for the complex cooling process, with the first power-up of the magnets expected by year-end. The success of this phase is crucial for advancing the HL-LHC project, which aims to push the boundaries of particle physics. 'Three times the size of the LHC': CERN unveils this colossal collider set to redefine the limits of particle physics exploration Understanding the Importance of Superconductivity Superconductivity is at the heart of the HL-LHC's enhanced capabilities. By cooling the magnets to a frigid temperature of -456°F, the facility leverages the power of superconductivity to conduct electricity without resistance. This remarkable phenomenon allows the magnets to generate significantly higher magnetic fields, which are essential for focusing particle beams more tightly. The result is a higher luminosity, translating to more collisions and more data for physicists to analyze. Understanding superconductivity not only aids in technological advancements but also contributes to our fundamental comprehension of physics. The HL-LHC's ability to maintain superconductivity under extreme conditions is a testament to human ingenuity and scientific progress. This capability is indispensable for achieving the project's ambitious goals, including the potential discovery of new particles and forces of nature. Lead Transformed into Gold: CERN Scientists Stun World with Historic Alchemy Breakthrough After Decades of Failed Experiments The Path Forward: Challenges and Opportunities As the HL-LHC project progresses, it faces numerous challenges, including the technical demands of maintaining superconductivity and the logistical complexities of component installation. However, these challenges are also opportunities for innovation and learning. The project exemplifies the collaborative spirit of international science, with experts from around the world contributing to its success. The HL-LHC promises to open new frontiers in particle physics, offering insights that could reshape our understanding of the universe. As the project moves closer to completion, it invites us to ponder the possibilities that lie ahead. What new discoveries might emerge from this cutting-edge facility, and how will they transform our knowledge of the cosmos? Our author used artificial intelligence to enhance this article. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (28)


News18
07-06-2025
- Science
- News18
Google DeepMind CEO Predicts AI Will Help Humans Colonise The Galaxy Starting 2030
Last Updated: Google DeepMind CEO and Nobel laureate Demis Hassabis said that starting 2030 humans will be able to colonise the galaxy and artificial intelligence will power this revolution. 2024 Nobel Prize winner and Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis told a news outlet recently that humans will be able to 'colonise the galaxy" starting 2030 and the revolution will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The Nobel chemistry laureate told WIRED that AI will lead humanity to far into the universe while turbocharging human productivity. Hassabis, who was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize with David Baker 'for computational protein design", said the 'golden era' was only five years away and that AI models set to bring about a renaissance in human existence. 'If everything goes well, then we should be in an era of radical abundance, a kind of golden era. AGI can solve what I call root-node problems in the world, curing terrible diseases, much healthier and longer lifespans, finding new energy sources," Hassabis was quoted as saying in an interview with WIRED. AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence, refers to an AI system with human-like cognitive abilities, capable of understanding, learning, and applying knowledge across a wide range of tasks. 'If that all happens, then it should be an era of maximum human flourishing, where we travel to the stars and colonise the galaxy. I think that will begin to happen in 2030," he said. When asked whether abundance through AI would still result in unequal distribution, Demis Hassabis said the technology could make the world feel 'like a non-zero-sum game." Although AGI has the potential to open vast new frontiers for humanity, Hassabis has previously expressed concern that society may not be prepared for its impact and admitted that the risks and consequences of such powerful technology often keep him up at night. 'It's a sort of like probability distribution. But it's coming, either way it's coming very soon and I'm not sure society's quite ready for that yet. And we need to think that through and also think about these issues that I talked about earlier, to do with the controllability of these systems and also the access to these systems and ensuring that all goes well," he said. He has also advocated for creating a UN-style global body to oversee the development and governance of AGI. 'I would advocate for a kind of CERN for AGI, and by that, I mean a kind of international research-focused high-end collaboration on the frontiers of AGI development to try and make that as safe as possible," he further added.


NDTV
07-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
Google DeepMind CEO Predicts AI-Powered Humanity Will 'Colonise The Galaxy' Starting 2030
Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis predicts human galaxy colonisation. AI will significantly enhance human productivity and exploration of the universe, he claims. Hassabis envisions a future with radical abundance and solutions to major global issues. Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis has claimed that humans will be able to 'colonise the galaxy', starting 2030, with artificial intelligence (AI) being the driving force behind this revolution. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner said AI tools will turbocharge human productivity and lead us to far and away lands in the universe. Mr Hassabis said the 'golden era' was only five years away, with AI models set to bring about a renaissance in human existence. "If everything goes well, then we should be in an era of radical abundance, a kind of golden era. AGI can solve what I call root-node problems in the world, curing terrible diseases, much healthier and longer lifespans, finding new energy sources," said Mr Hassabis in an interview with WIRED, referring to human-level AI, popularly known as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). "If that all happens, then it should be an era of maximum human flourishing, where we travel to the stars and colonise the galaxy. I think that will begin to happen in 2030," he added. Quizzed if the abundance will still lead to unequal distribution as is the condition today, Mr Hassabis said AI will make "things feel like a non-zero-sum game". AGI's future While AGI may help humanity unlock new frontiers, Mr Hassabis has previously talked about society not being ready for it and that the technology and its perils keep him up at night. "It's a sort of like probability distribution. But it's [AGI] coming, either way it's coming very soon and I'm not sure society's quite ready for that yet. And we need to think that through and also think about these issues that I talked about earlier, to do with the controllability of these systems and also the access to these systems and ensuring that all goes well," said Mr Hassabis. He has also called for the establishment of a UN-like umbrella organisation to oversee AGI's development. "I would advocate for a kind of CERN for AGI, and by that, I mean a kind of international research-focused high-end collaboration on the frontiers of AGI development to try and make that as safe as possible," he added.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Physicists propose using black holes as 'cheaper' particle colliders as budget cuts loom
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. In the face of eye-watering costs, long construction times and the Trump administration's slashing of federal science funding, physicists have proposed a cheaper alternative to the next-generation of particle supercolliders — peering into black holes. Scientists initially hoped that the elusive particles that make up dark matter would be spat out by high-energy proton collisions inside CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), yet so far no such detection has been made. Finding dark matter, therefore, could mean waiting decades until new, higher energy, supercolliders are built. Or perhaps not, according to one group of researchers. Publishing their findings June 3 in the journal Physical Review Letters, they suggest that the answers we're looking for could be in violent collisions inside the fast-moving accretion disks that surround enormous black holes. "One of the great hopes for particle colliders like the Large Hadron Collider is that it will generate dark matter particles, but we haven't seen any evidence yet," study co-author Joseph Silk, an astrophysics professor at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Oxford, U.K. said in a statement. "That's why there are discussions underway to build a much more powerful version, a next-generation supercollider. But as we invest $30 billion and wait 40 years to build this supercollider — nature may provide a glimpse of the future in super massive black holes." Particle colliders work by smashing particles into each other at near-light-speeds, creating interactions from which the most fundamental elements of the universe briefly emerge as high-energy debris. It's from these collisions that the LHC discovered the Higg's Boson in 2012, the elusive particle that gives all others their mass. Related: World's largest atom smasher turned lead into gold — and then destroyed it in an instant But despite this discovery and many others (alongside key contributions to the development of the internet, computing and some cancer therapies) the LHC has yet to produce dark matter, possibly because it is incapable of reaching the energies required to produce its particles. One of the universe's most mysterious components, dark matter makes up roughly 27% of our cosmos's missing content. But it doesn't interact with light, so it has yet to be directly detected. This means that despite countless observations of the ways it shapes our universe, scientists are still unsure of where dark matter comes from, or even what it is. Seeking a new source of dark matter particles, the researchers behind the new study looked to black holes. Observations by space telescopes have revealed that rapidly spinning black holes can launch massive jets of plasma from the accretion disks of hot matter that surround them. And according to the researchers' calculations, these jets could be far more powerful than first thought — enabling particles to collide at similar energy levels as those projected for future supercolliders. "Some particles from these collisions go down the throat of the black hole and disappear forever," Silk said. "But because of their energy and momentum, some also come out, and it's those that come out which are accelerated to unprecedentedly high energies." Silk's team calculated that the energy produced by black hole jets could be "as powerful as you get from a supercollider, or more," adding that "it's very hard to say what the limit is." RELATED STORIES —'Beauty' particle discovered at world's largest atom smasher could unlock new physics —Black holes can destroy planets — but they can also lead us to thriving alien worlds. Here's how. —10 mind-blowing black hole discoveries from 2024 To detect the particles zipping from black hole collisions, the researchers propose tracking them with observatories designed to study supernovae, such as the South Pole's IceCube Neutrino Observatory or the Kilometer Cube Neutrino Telescope. "If supermassive black holes can generate these particles by high-energy proton collisions, then we might get a signal on Earth, some really high-energy particle passing rapidly through our detectors," Silk said. "That would be the evidence for a novel particle collider within the most mysterious objects in the universe, attaining energies that would be unattainable in any terrestrial accelerator. We'd see something with a strange signature that conceivably provides evidence for dark matter, which is a bit more of a leap but it's possible."