Extreme Science

Physicist Laura Dodd drives 35 minutes to get from her office in Geneva, Switzerland, to the site of her experiment in France. But both places are part of the same massive lab: CERN. This center for nuclear physics is the largest science facility ever built.

It’s home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which is the largest particle accelerator in the world. This machine sends beams of protons (positively charged particles in an atom) and ions (charged atoms) zooming around the 17-mile-long circular tunnel in opposite directions to gain speeds almost as fast as the speed of light. When the beams finally slam into each other, they explode into subatomic particles—the building blocks of matter. This gives a glimpse of what our early universe looked like.

“Physics demands that we have such a large machine,” says Dodd. That’s because it takes a lot of space to accelerate particles and keep them whipping around the  tunnel at such high speeds.

Laura Dodd is a physicist. Her office is in Geneva, Switzerland. To work on her experiment, she drives 35 minutes to a site in France. But both places are part of the same massive laboratory! This center for nuclear physics is known as CERN. It’s the largest science facility ever built.

CERN is so big because it’s home to the world’s largest particle accelerator. This machine helps physicists study the tiny particles that make up atoms. The accelerator sends beams of atoms and particles zooming around a circular tunnel. They move in opposite directions and speed up as they go. They reach close to the speed of light! Finally, the beams slam into each other. They explode into even tinier particles. These are the building blocks of matter. Studying them helps scientists understand what the early universe looked like.

The accelerator at CERN is 17 miles long. That’s how much space it takes for the particles to reach such high speeds. “Physics demands that we have such a large machine,” says Dodd.

The South Pole is the driest and coldest place on Earth—which makes it perfect for a telescope! Why? Moisture and heat in the atmosphere interfere with a telescope’s ability to collect precise data.

Clear images and data are important for astronomers  like Paul Chichura and John Hood at the University of Chicago. They study cosmic background radiation, which is a faint signal left over from the Big Bang. It’s like “a baby picture of the universe,” says Chichura.

Hood believes the long trek to the South Pole is worth it. “The atmosphere is extremely stable and better for observing things in space,” he says.

The South Pole is the driest and coldest place on Earth. That makes it perfect for a telescope! Why? Moisture and heat in the air can cloud a telescope’s view. That makes it harder to collect data.

Clear images are important for astronomers like Paul Chichura and John Hood. They work at the University of Chicago. They study something called cosmic background radiation. These faint energy waves are left over from the Big Bang—when the universe began. Studying them is like looking at “a baby picture of the universe,” says Chichura.

It’s a long trek from Chicago to the South Pole. But Hood believes it’s worth it. “The atmosphere is extremely stable and better for observing things in space,” he says.

During the summer of 2018, Hawaii’s Mount Kilauea erupted and devastated the Big Island. Lava flowed from the volcano, and earthquakes rocked the land. Geologists at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) took action, helping to warn people and evacuate 700 homes in the lava’s path.

But the scientists had to evacuate too! Their lab on the edge of the volcano’s caldera, or crater, was damaged beyond repair by the earthquakes. Unlike volcanic explosions, which shoot lava, ash, and rock into the air, a lava flow oozes from a volcano and flows down its slope like honey. Since the observatory was on higher ground, it was safe from lava—but not from earthquakes.

The danger reminded HVO geologists of the importance of their work. It’s their job to track the scorching lava’s movements and alert people in its path. While the original buildings have been torn down, a new field station a mile away is under construction to continue to keep an eye on the world’s most active volcano.

In the summer of 2018, a volcanic eruption rocked the Big Island of Hawaii. Lava flowed from Mount Kilauea for months. Earthquakes shook the entire island. Geologists at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory took action. They helped warn people and evacuate 700 homes in the lava’s path. 

Even the scientists had to evacuate! Their lab was on the edge of the volcano’s crater. It was actually safe from the lava. That’s because Kilauea didn’t explode lava into the air. Instead, lava oozed from the volcano and flowed down its slope like honey. The observatory was on higher ground, so the lava didn’t reach it. But the building’s location didn’t protect it from earthquakes. All the shaking damaged it beyond repair.

The experience reminded the geologists why their work is important. It’s their job to track volcanic activity and warn people of danger. The original buildings have now been torn down. But a new field station is under construction a mile away. That way scientists can continue to monitor the world’s most active volcano.

High along the slopes of Mount Everest is a futuristic-looking glass building known as “the Pyramid.” It’s one of the most remote research stations in the world. And for the past 10 years, it's been one of the loneliest. Only one man, Kaji Bista, keeps the Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory up and running. A funding disagreement cost the lab the rest of its maintenance team, leaving Bista alone to care for its instruments.

Some scientists still make the long trip to the Pyramid, which sits 16,568 feet above sea level, to measure air pressure, temperature, and the composition of gases and particles. That’s because it’s a unique place to learn how climate change is affecting high-altitude environments.

Bista and other researchers hope the lab will be renovated and re-staffed soon. Similar data cannot be collected anywhere else on Earth.

The experience reminded the geologists why their work is important. It’s their job to track volcanic activity and warn people of danger. The original buildings have now been torn down. But a new field station is under construction a mile away. That way scientists can continue to monitor the world’s most active volcano.

The Pyramid

A shiny glass building sits high on the slopes of Mount. It’s the Pyramid International Laboratory-Observatory, or “the Pyramid.” It’s one of the most remote research stations in the world. And for the past 10 years, it's been one of the loneliest. Only one man currently keeps the laboratory up and running. His name is Kaj Bista. The rest of the maintenance team left after funding to pay their salaries ran out. 

The Pyramid sits 16,568 feet above sea level. Some scientists still make the trip to collect air samples up there. That’s because it’s a unique place to study how climate change is affecting the mountains.

Researchers like Bista hope the lab will be funded and fixed up soon. The data collected there can’t be found anywhere else on Earth!