What is over 1400 scientists from 35 nations searching in three tunnels 1.5 km below earth? Answer will leave you shocked
What is over 1400 scientists from 35 nations searching in three tunnels 1.5 km below earth? Answer will leave you shocked
How was the universe formed and how did the stars, planets, and even we began to exist? To find answers to these big questions, two teams of scientists one in the US and the other in Japan are racing to uncover the secrets of the universe. According to a report by BBC, both teams are using a tiny particle called a neutrino to help them solve the mystery of how everything started. Right now, the Japanese team is a few years ahead, but the American scientists are catching up fast. Why does our universe exist at all?
Deep inside a laboratory located above the misty forests of South Dakota, American scientists are trying to solve one of science's biggest puzzles i.e. why does the universe even exist? Meanwhile, their Japanese counterparts are also working toward the same goal and are currently leading the race.
Despite all our technological advancements, we still don't fully understand how the universe came into being or why galaxies, stars, and planets and even life itself exist. To get closer to an answer, both the American and Japanese teams are building advanced detectors designed to study neutrinos, a strange and tiny subatomic particle that might hold the key to how everything started. America's DUNE Project
In South Dakota, at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), scientists have built three huge tunnels about 1,500 meters below the ground. These tunnels are so important for research that people call them a 'cathedral of science.' Here, a massive experiment called the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is taking place. More than 1,400 scientists from 35 countries are working together on this project.
Dr. Jaret Heise, the director of the project, says that they're building a special detector that could completely change how we understand the universe. As part of the experiment, scientists will send powerful beams of neutrinos and antineutrinos from Illinois to South Dakota, about 800 miles away.
They want to observe whether these tiny particles behave differently during their journey. If neutrinos and antineutrinos change in different ways, it might help explain one of the biggest mysteries in science: Why did matter win over antimatter after the Big Bang? Understanding this could explain why the universe—and life as we know it—exists at all. Japan's Hyper-K Project
In Japan, scientists are building a new neutrino detector called Hyper-K, which is an upgraded version of their current detector, Super-K. This new setup looks like a glowing golden structure and is often described as a 'temple of science.' The Japanese team is nearly ready to launch their neutrino beam in less than three years, putting them several years ahead of the U.S.-based DUNE project.
Dr. Mark Scott from Imperial College London says that because the Hyper-K detector is larger, it can collect data faster and with better accuracy. Who will win the race?
Dr. Linda Cremonesi from Queen Mary University, who works on the DUNE project, believes that Japan's Hyper-K still lacks some of the technology needed to clearly detect the differences in behavior between neutrinos and antineutrinos. While both projects aim to uncover similar mysteries, having them run side by side will actually provide more detailed information.
But Dr. Scott admits, 'I'd rather be the one to get the results first!'
The final answers might still take a few years, but until then, the question of why and how we exist remains one of the universe's biggest puzzles. This scientific race is a major leap toward unlocking the secrets of our cosmos.
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