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BBC Inside Science

CERN’s Supercollider Plan

Aug 22, 2024
Andrew Pontzen, a physicist from University College London, and Harry Cliff, a CERN physicist, debate the necessity of CERN's ambitious new particle collider project, weighing its hefty price against potential scientific returns. Meanwhile, science reporter Ella Hubber showcases innovative motion capture technology at the University of Bath, revolutionizing how athletes analyze their movements for performance enhancement. They also touch on chimps' unexpected communication skills, highlighting parallels with human language evolution.
28:04

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • CERN's Future Circular Collider proposal faces funding challenges yet promises significant societal benefits, evidenced by past scientific advancements.
  • Chimpanzees exhibit quick, structured communication similar to humans, providing insights into the evolutionary foundations of language and social behavior.

Deep dives

Future of Particle Physics

The discussion revolves around the proposal for a new particle accelerator, the Future Circular Collider (FCC), which aims to extend the capabilities of the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The FCC is expected to be much larger, with a circumference of about 90 kilometers, and will focus on colliding electrons and their antiparticles, allowing for cleaner experimental conditions. This shift from protons, which are composite particles, to elementary particles promises to provide more accurate measurements. However, funding remains a critical challenge, with Germany, a major contributor, currently unable to support this ambitious €17 billion venture, amid competition from China, which is planning to build a larger collider at a significantly lower cost.

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