Lone Weasel Brings Down World’s Largest Particle Collider

LHC sets new record. File photo dated 14/04/13 of the beam tunnel at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN in Meyrin, Switzerland as a new energy record for... LHC sets new record. File photo dated 14/04/13 of the beam tunnel at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN in Meyrin, Switzerland as a new energy record for smashing together sub-atomic particles has been set by the LHC, marking a turning point for the team operating the world's biggest scientific instrument. Issue date: Thursday May 21, 2015. See PA story SCIENCE Collider. Photo credit should read: John Von Radowitz/PA Wire URN:23080319 MORE LESS

GENEVA (AP) — It’s one of the physics world’s most complex machines, and it has been immobilized — temporarily — by a weasel.

Spokesman Arnaud Marsollier says the world’s largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN outside of Geneva, has suspended operations because a weasel invaded a transformer that helps power the machine and set off an electrical outage on Thursday night.

Authorities say the incident was one of several small glitches that will delay plans to restart the collider by a few days.

Marsollier says Friday that the weasel died — and little remains of it.

Officials of the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known by its French acronym CERN, have been gearing up for new data from the 27-kilometer (17-mile) circuit that runs underground on the Swiss-French border.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

36
Show Comments

Notable Replies

  1. Now witness the POWER of this fully operational Particle Collider… As it obliterates this Weasel.

  2. Hummm! Smoked weasel! A real delicacy in TN for white trailer trash living in single wides!

    Bawahahaha!

  3. did they name it Ted Cruz RiP? or Carley if was female?

  4. Hey if it had orange hair, maybe it was a Trump progeny? Just askin’…

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

30 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for victorabrahamsen Avatar for closet_luddite Avatar for chico_david_rn Avatar for jw1 Avatar for srfromgr Avatar for tomconoley Avatar for mondfledermaus Avatar for old_curmudgeon Avatar for irasdad Avatar for cvilledem Avatar for datora Avatar for mantan Avatar for roberta Avatar for chuckberryisgod Avatar for sonsofares Avatar for ottnott Avatar for magical_panda Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for dnl Avatar for darrtown Avatar for misterneutron Avatar for dctexan Avatar for machoneman

Continue Discussion