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CERN Turns Lead into Gold: 86 Billion Nuclei Created!

5/11/2025

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Summary

Story summary

CERN scientists have achieved a remarkable feat at the Large Hadron Collider, transforming lead into gold by colliding lead nuclei at near-light speed. From 2015 to 2018, they generated an astonishing 86 billion gold nuclei, weighing just 29 trillionths of a gram, but lasting only a fleeting microsecond. This groundbreaking experiment deepens our understanding of nuclear interactions.

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Story summary

CERN scientists have achieved a remarkable feat at the Large Hadron Collider, transforming lead into gold by colliding lead nuclei at near-light speed. From 2015 to 2018, they generated an astonishing 86 billion gold nuclei, weighing just 29 trillionths of a gram, but lasting only a fleeting microsecond. This groundbreaking experiment deepens our understanding of nuclear interactions.