The birth of the universe is looking less mysterious all the time. Scientists in Geneva announced that they had recreated a bizarre form of matter that probably filled the entire universe when it was a mere 10 millionths of a second old and expanding as a fireball. The scientists, at the CERN particle physics laboratory, succeeded in getting the reclusive particles called quarks to roam freely for the first time in an experiment. Quarks are normally locked inside protons and neutrons and cannot be knocked loose.
The achievement could help scientists understand what ignited the Big Bang explosion that they believe created the universe in the first place. JAMES GLANZContinue reading the main story