A small mammal has apparently caused significant damage to the most powerful scientific instrument in the world.
A weasel, or possibly a marten, was able to infiltrate the Large Hardon Collider , a 17-mile superconducting machine designed to smash protons together going at speeds close to the speed of light. It is the largest and most expensive particle accelerator in the world. It was put offline overnight due to what turned out to be chewed-up cables.
Researchers discovered charred fur and remains of a small mammal near gnawed cables.
“We had electrical problems, and we are pretty sure this was caused by a small animal,” says Arnaud Marsollier, head of press for CERN, the organization that runs the $7 billion particle collider in Switzerland.
The researchers have been using this particle accelerator in order to find new data on the Higgs Boson, also known as the God Particle, which they first discovered in 2012. Research has now been slowed due to this furry intruder.
This is not the first time that wildlife has sabotaged the particle accelerator. 2006 saw a coordinated attack by raccons on a particle accerator. Then in 2009, a bird dropped a baguette onto the particle accelerator, causing it to experience and electric short and shut down.
