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Muons: Emblems of discovery

01/13/26

Diana Kwon

Once a surprise to physicists, these particles are useful tools inside and outside the realm of particle physics.

12/01/08

Physicist revives oldest recording of the human voice

In 1860, Parisian inventor Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville set out to capture the beauty of a French folk song, "Au Clair de la Lune," using pig hair and soot.

12/01/08

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The life-saving medical technology known as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, makes detailed images of soft tissue in the body, nearly eliminating the need for exploratory surgery.

11/01/08

LHC startup

On September 10, 2008, scientists at the European laboratory CERN attempted for the first time to send a beam of particles around a new particle accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider.

11/01/08

A special recognition

On Sept. 10, scientists at the European laboratory CERN sent the first beam of protons around the Large Hadron Collider.

11/01/08

The dark universe debate

Who will be the first to prove the existence of dark matter and dark energy? A particle physicist and an astrophysicist go head to head.

An illustration of a teapot letting off steam

11/01/08

Magnet quench

A quench occurs when a magnet in a particle accelerator loses its superconductivity.

11/01/08

Life's one eclipse after another

On the wall outside Cherrill Spencer's office, a scientific poster describes a prototype for a new type of accelerator magnet; a card thanks her for donating her long hair to make a wig for an ailing girl; and a scribbled note points to a spot on a map southeast of Novosibirsk, Russia.

11/01/08

Where old physics stuff goes to live

The Fermilab boneyard is no burial ground; its a place where unwanted parts find new homes and lives. Theyre matched with scientists who can put them to good use, donated to local schools and parks, or sold for recycling.

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