Good morning. It's Tuesday, June 23, and welcome to this week's Science & Technology newsletter. First time reading? Sign up here or forward to share with friends.
Last week saw the final particle collisions at the Large Hadron Collider ahead of Long Shutdown 3, which will see the machine turned off until at least 2030. To celebrate this milestone, we're taking a look at the LHC and the extraordinary engineering behind some of the biggest breakthroughs in particle physics history.
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—Marco Daniel Machado, 1440 Science & Technology Section Editor
Editor's note: We've relaunched the Science & Technology hub on our site! It's now easier than ever to read past newsletters, explore our archive of topic write-ups, and preview the resources that will appear in our Etcetera block throughout the week. |
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The Large Hadron Collider is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator. The 26.7-kilometer (16.6-mile) underground ring is located on the border between France and Switzerland and was built to test fundamental theories in particle physics. The name comes from the accelerator colliding protons or ions composed of protons and neutrons—both are classified as hadrons—at near-light speed, producing showers of particles that can be compared to predictions.
> The LHC repurposed an excavation tunnel built for the Large Electron-Positron Collider, once Europe's largest civil engineering project. (More)
> Research at the LHC generates an estimated $1.2 for every $1 spent. (More)
Before a collision occurs, gas molecules are stripped of electrons using an electric field. A series of smaller accelerators increases the speed of the resulting ions, which are then sent in opposite directions down two LHC pipes, whose vacuum conditions resemble those on the lunar surface. Electromagnets cooled by liquid helium to temperatures lower than those in outer space accelerate and guide these particles into collisions—where temperatures can reach 5.5 trillion Kelvin—at one of four detector sites along the ring.
> Watch an animated visualization of how the accelerator complex works. (More)
> Data from the LHC is managed by a system with 2 billion gigabytes of storage spread out across more than 40 countries. (More)
As of 2026, the LHC has discovered 86 particles, including the Higgs boson, which, according to the Standard Model, is responsible for the masses of fundamental particles. In 2026, the accelerator will begin a multiyear shutdown and be upgraded to the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider to improve collision rates.
> How does the Higgs boson provide particles with mass? (More)
> See the collection of Champagne bottles from parties celebrating major LHC milestones. (More)
Discover more:
> At the LHC, scientists have transformed lead into gold—a process known as chrysopoeia. (More)
> Despite what you've heard, the LHC does not create planet-destroying black holes. (More)
> Earlier this year, the LHC provided heat to thousands of French homes and businesses through a heat exchanger system. (More) |
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1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind the week's stories:
NASA seeks to rescue the Swift Observatory before its projected descent to Earth later this year. (More)
> Learn how the Swift Observatory reveals the universe's most powerful explosions.
> ... and why intense solar activity may spawn more future satellite rescues.
NSF reverses course and no longer plans to dismantle ocean monitoring network. (More)
> A look at the objectives and technology behind the Ocean Observatories Initiative.
> Watch a visualization of how oceans impact the Earth's weather and climate.
Models suggest Southern California faults are at their highest tectonic stress levels in 1,000 years. (More)
> Geological activity helps scientists map faults between tectonic plates.
> The Richter scale was only designed to rate earthquakes in Southern California.
Hackers fooled Meta AI into granting access to about 20,000 Instagram accounts. (More)
> How prompt injection attacks enable hackers to manipulate generative AI outputs.
> See how AI tools have accelerated how fast hackers can exploit software. |
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Like all great researchers, we love spending time learning about the latest breakthroughs across science and technology. Here's what we found this week.
New synthetic material outperforms the heat regulation of cotton
American Chemical Society | Staff. Traditionally, cotton's ability to lower body temperature has relied on its breathability, which allows moisture to be naturally pulled away from the skin and evaporate. The ultralight synthetic fabric with cotton-like fluffiness retains heat in the cold and releases heat at room temperature better than cotton does while repelling water, reducing the need to sweat. (More)
> Learn why a special property of water enables sweating to cool you down.
> Watch how cotton is collected and processed into fibers.
Unusual source of high-energy neutrino burst found within 'Shadow Blaster'
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan | Staff. Previously identified sources of these bursts were powered by supermassive black holes, but no such black holes have been found in a galaxy nicknamed for being heavily obscured by dust while shining brightly at submillimeter wavelengths. Observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array suggest an alternative pathway for high-energy neutrino production involving a "compact core" of intense star formation. (More)
> What are neutrinos, and what makes them special?
> See how scientists create neutrino and antimatter neutrino beams for experiments using particle accelerators.
Researchers develop a nanorobot with modules that autonomously self-assemble
University of Basel | Angelika Jacobs. The nanobot resembles a lunar rocket, with a magnetic propulsion module and a payload capsule that can safely deliver therapeutic agents or enzymes to a target location. The two modules are connected by a DNA-based "Velcro fastener," and the payload capsule is equipped with biomolecules that facilitate docking onto specific cells or materials. (More)
> What is nanotechnology?
> Molecular Velcro can be made from DNA because its complementary strands connect together in a consistent way. |
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> In the 1940s, pilots flew directly into thunderstorms to make future aviation safer as part of the Thunderstorm Project.
> Ranking the masses of fundamental particles—led by the top quark, which is as massive as an atom of gold.
> If you own a garden, be on the lookout for these seven invasive plants.
> Diamonds have been created from everyday substances, including peanut butter.
> Learn about each element's history, properties, and uses with this interactive periodic table.
> Why certain Earth locations experience eclipses every few years while others wait over 1,000 years between eclipses.
> The world's most powerful ocean current carries over 100 times the combined water of all of Earth's rivers.
> Listen to audio recordings from forests around the world.
> Discover the diverse parenting techniques seen across the animal kingdom.
> The history, chemistry, and uses of superglue, including its accidental discovery during World War II.
> Where did the moon come from?
> Explore an illustrated forecast of the future of the universe. |
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"As experimentalists we should, with our high-tech instruments like the Large Hadron Collider, just listen to nature and to what nature wants to tell us." |
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