Latest news with #SanfordUndergroundResearchFacility
Saudi Gazette
20-05-2025
- Science
- Saudi Gazette
Scientists in a race to discover why our Universe exists
WASHINGTON — Inside a laboratory nestled above the mist of the forests of South Dakota, scientists are searching for the answer to one of science's biggest questions: why does our Universe exist? They are in a race for the answer with a separate team of Japanese scientists – who are several years ahead. The current theory of how the Universe came into being can't explain the existence of the planets, stars and galaxies we see around us. Both teams are building detectors that study a sub-atomic particle called a neutrino in the hope of finding answers. The US-led international collaboration is hoping the answer lies deep underground, in the aptly named Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (Dune). The scientists will travel 1,500 meters below the surface into three vast underground caverns. Such is the scale that construction crews and their bulldozers seem like small plastic toys by comparison. The science director of this facility, Dr Jaret Heise describes the giant caves as "cathedrals to science". Dr Heise has been involved the construction of these caverns at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (Surf) for nearly ten years. They seal Dune off from the noise and radiation from the world above. Now, Dune is now ready for the next stage. "We are poised to build the detector that will change our understanding of the Universe with instruments that will be deployed by a collaboration of more than 1,400 scientists from 35 countries who are eager to answer the question of why we exist," he says. When the Universe was created two kinds of particles were created: matter – from which stars, planets and everything around us are made – and, in equal amounts, antimatter, matter's exact opposite. Theoretically the two should have cancelled each other out, leaving nothing but a big burst of energy. And yet, here we – as matter – are. Scientists believe that the answer to understanding why matter won – and we exist – lies in studying a particle called the neutrino and its antimatter opposite, the anti-neutrino. They will be firing beams of both kinds of particles from deep underground in Illinois to the detectors at South Dakota, 800 miles away. This is because as they travel, neutrinos and anti-neutrinos change ever so slightly. The scientists want to find out whether those changes are different for the neutrinos and anti-neutrinos. If they are, it could lead them to the answer of why matter and anti-matter don't cancel each other out. Dune is an international collaboration, involving 1,400 scientists from thirty countries. Among them is Dr Kate Shaw from Sussex University, who told me that the discoveries in store will be "transformative" to our understanding of the Universe and humanity's view of itself. "It is really exciting that we are here now with the technology, with the engineering, with the computer software skills to really be able to attack these big questions," she said. Half a world away, Japanese scientists are using shining golden globes to search for the same answers. Gleaming in all its splendour it is like a temple to science, mirroring the cathedral in South Dakota 6,000 miles (9,650 km) away. The scientists are building Hyper-K — which will be a bigger and better version of their existing neutrino detector, Super-K. The Japanese-led team will be ready to turn on their neutrino beam in less than three years, several years earlier than the American project. Just like Dune, Hyper-K is an international collaboration. Dr Mark Scott of Imperial College, London believes his team is in pole position to make one of the biggest ever discoveries about the origin of the Universe. "We switch on earlier and we have a larger detector, so we should have more sensitivity sooner than Dune," he says. Having both experiments running together means that scientists will learn more than they would with just one, but, he says, "I would like to get there first!" But Dr Linda Cremonesi, of Queen Mary University of London, who works for the Dune project, says that getting there first may not give the Japanese-led team the full picture of what is really going on. "There is an element of a race, but Hyper K does not have yet all of the ingredients that they need to understand if neutrinos and anti-neutrinos behave differently." The race may be on, but the first results are only expected in a few years' time. The question of just what happened at the beginning of time to bring us into existence remains a mystery – for now. — BBC
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Underground lab opens doors for photography contest
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Professional and amateur photographers will have a chance to capture a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF). It's part of Interactions Global Physics Photowalk–a worldwide event where major particle physics laboratories open their doors to photographers. Blood drive breaks record for number of donations SURF'S main campus is nearly a mile underground. Scientists there conduct experiments to answer fundamental questions about the universe, from dark matter to nuclear astrophysics. The competition includes three phases: Phase 1: Neutrino Day – On July 12 in Lead, SD, photographers will capture and submit up to three images taken from the annual Neutrino Day festival. Phase 2: Underground Photowalk – Eight photographers selected get a guided underground tour to photograph SURF's science spaces. Phase 3: Global Physics Photowalk – The top three photos from both phases will advance to the global judging phase. The winning photographers from around the world will have their work featured in magazines CERN Courier and Symmetry. More information on how to register is available on the 2025 Physics Photowalk website. Bat tests positive for rabies at Great Plains Zoo Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lakota artist smudges the former gold mine inside the Black Hills
When Lakota artist Marty Two Bulls Jr. looks at the Black Hills of South Dakota, he doesn't just see its natural beauty. He also sees a scar cut deep into the heart of the universe. The mountain range is central to the origin story of several tribal nations, including his, and it has become an international symbol of the ongoing struggle for Indigenous land rights and the destruction of sacred sites. To the Lakota, Mount Rushmore is the most visible scar on the mountains. The former gold mine beneath is another, and that's what motivated Two Bulls to use his performance art to cleanse it. 'You hear 'land back', and it means a lot of different things to different people,' he said, referring to the Indigenous-led movement to restore tribal self-determination through ownership and stewardship of their homelands. 'It's been interesting trying to reframe some of these conversations about stewardship and land rights and treaties.' When the green pines on top meet the blue sky above, it creates the perception of a black outline, which is why the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people call it 'He Sapa', which means 'black ridge.' To them, it is where their creation began. But for generations, this sacred place was mined and stripped of gold, leaving lasting marks. Today, the former Homestake Gold Mine, a 300-mile (480-kilometer) tunnel system carved inside the mountains, houses the Sanford Underground Research Facility, where scientists study particle physics and dark matter. The deep mine shafts encased in granite are ideal for research into the secrets of the stars. As an artist in residence at SURF last year, Two Bulls felt a connection to its depths but a tremendous sense of loss when he ventured into the mine. 'I was bearing witness to the desecration that Homestake did every day. It was heartbreaking,' he said. And it left him wondering: 'How do you recover from a desecration or a crime?' Two Bulls also respected the work being conducted by some of the world's top minds inside the Black Hills, and he wanted to find a way to show them that this place was important long before its value was measured in gold or scientific research. He decided the best solution was also the simplest: smudge. Smudging is the act of cleansing, spiritually and physically, by burning plants like sage, cedar or sweetgrass and enveloping one's self or a space in the smoke. It has been a common practice across Indian Country for generations. Last week, using sage donated by Native people from as close as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and as far away as the West Coast, Two Bulls burned several bundles, each representing the prayers of the community that donated it. For an hour, he burned the bundles in a small stove at the entrance to the former mine, fanning the flames with eagle feathers to smudge the place that his people revere as the center of the cosmos. Sensors in the mine nearly a mile below ground detected the smoke, a spokesperson for SURF said. 'To see how that was put together, that floored me,' said Rylan Sprague, a botanist and member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who chairs SURF's cultural advisory committee. 'Leave it to an artist to take something that seems so regular and turn it into something totally different.' Two Bulls said Western science often overlooks or misunderstands Indigenous ways of thinking about the world and our origins, and that he wants his art project, called Azilya — the Lakota word for smudging — to be a way for the two to meet. An exhibition of his art from his time at SURF exploring that concept is currently on display at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Several researchers and members of SURF's staff watched Two Bulls smudge the mine. Sprague said he could see from the looks on their faces that the SURF employees in attendance understood the reverence Two Bulls and his community have for the place where they work. The room was largely quiet as Two Bulls sent smoke and prayers a mile beneath the earth's surface. 'It's not a site that I think they think about as a sacred site. It's a work site,' Two Bulls said. 'I hope that that happens. That's my intention.'
The Independent
05-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Lakota artist smudges the former gold mine inside the Black Hills
When Lakota artist Marty Two Bulls Jr. looks at the Black Hills of South Dakota, he doesn't just see its natural beauty. He also sees a scar cut deep into the heart of the universe. The mountain range is central to the origin story of several tribal nations, including his, and it has become an international symbol of the ongoing struggle for Indigenous land rights and the destruction of sacred sites. To the Lakota, Mount Rushmore is the most visible scar on the mountains. The former gold mine beneath is another, and that's what motivated Two Bulls to use his performance art to cleanse it. 'You hear 'land back', and it means a lot of different things to different people,' he said, referring to the Indigenous-led movement to restore tribal self-determination through ownership and stewardship of their homelands. 'It's been interesting trying to reframe some of these conversations about stewardship and land rights and treaties.' When the green pines on top meet the blue sky above, it creates the perception of a black outline, which is why the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people call it 'He Sapa', which means 'black ridge.' To them, it is where their creation began. But for generations, this sacred place was mined and stripped of gold, leaving lasting marks. Today, the former Homestake Gold Mine, a 300-mile (480-kilometer) tunnel system carved inside the mountains, houses the Sanford Underground Research Facility, where scientists study particle physics and dark matter. The deep mine shafts encased in granite are ideal for research into the secrets of the stars. As an artist in residence at SURF last year, Two Bulls felt a connection to its depths but a tremendous sense of loss when he ventured into the mine. 'I was bearing witness to the desecration that Homestake did every day. It was heartbreaking,' he said. And it left him wondering: 'How do you recover from a desecration or a crime?' Two Bulls also respected the work being conducted by some of the world's top minds inside the Black Hills, and he wanted to find a way to show them that this place was important long before its value was measured in gold or scientific research. He decided the best solution was also the simplest: smudge. Smudging is the act of cleansing, spiritually and physically, by burning plants like sage, cedar or sweetgrass and enveloping one's self or a space in the smoke. It has been a common practice across Indian Country for generations. Last week, using sage donated by Native people from as close as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and as far away as the West Coast, Two Bulls burned several bundles, each representing the prayers of the community that donated it. For an hour, he burned the bundles in a small stove at the entrance to the former mine, fanning the flames with eagle feathers to smudge the place that his people revere as the center of the cosmos. Sensors in the mine nearly a mile below ground detected the smoke, a spokesperson for SURF said. 'To see how that was put together, that floored me,' said Rylan Sprague, a botanist and member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who chairs SURF's cultural advisory committee. 'Leave it to an artist to take something that seems so regular and turn it into something totally different.' Two Bulls said Western science often overlooks or misunderstands Indigenous ways of thinking about the world and our origins, and that he wants his art project, called Azilya — the Lakota word for smudging — to be a way for the two to meet. An exhibition of his art from his time at SURF exploring that concept is currently on display at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Several researchers and members of SURF's staff watched Two Bulls smudge the mine. Sprague said he could see from the looks on their faces that the SURF employees in attendance understood the reverence Two Bulls and his community have for the place where they work. The room was largely quiet as Two Bulls sent smoke and prayers a mile beneath the earth's surface. 'It's not a site that I think they think about as a sacred site. It's a work site,' Two Bulls said. 'I hope that that happens. That's my intention.'
Associated Press
05-04-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Lakota artist smudges the former gold mine inside the Black Hills
When Lakota artist Marty Two Bulls Jr. looks at the Black Hills of South Dakota, he doesn't just see its natural beauty. He also sees a scar cut deep into the heart of the universe. The mountain range is central to the origin story of several tribal nations, including his, and it has become an international symbol of the ongoing struggle for Indigenous land rights and the destruction of sacred sites. To the Lakota, Mount Rushmore is the most visible scar on the mountains. The former gold mine beneath is another, and that's what motivated Two Bulls to use his performance art to cleanse it. 'You hear 'land back', and it means a lot of different things to different people,' he said, referring to the Indigenous-led movement to restore tribal self-determination through ownership and stewardship of their homelands. 'It's been interesting trying to reframe some of these conversations about stewardship and land rights and treaties.' When the green pines on top meet the blue sky above, it creates the perception of a black outline, which is why the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota people call it 'He Sapa', which means 'black ridge.' To them, it is where their creation began. But for generations, this sacred place was mined and stripped of gold, leaving lasting marks. Today, the former Homestake Gold Mine, a 300-mile (480-kilometer) tunnel system carved inside the mountains, houses the Sanford Underground Research Facility, where scientists study particle physics and dark matter. The deep mine shafts encased in granite are ideal for research into the secrets of the stars. As an artist in residence at SURF last year, Two Bulls felt a connection to its depths but a tremendous sense of loss when he ventured into the mine. 'I was bearing witness to the desecration that Homestake did every day. It was heartbreaking,' he said. And it left him wondering: 'How do you recover from a desecration or a crime?' Two Bulls also respected the work being conducted by some of the world's top minds inside the Black Hills, and he wanted to find a way to show them that this place was important long before its value was measured in gold or scientific research. He decided the best solution was also the simplest: smudge. Smudging is the act of cleansing, spiritually and physically, by burning plants like sage, cedar or sweetgrass and enveloping one's self or a space in the smoke. It has been a common practice across Indian Country for generations. Last week, using sage donated by Native people from as close as the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and as far away as the West Coast, Two Bulls burned several bundles, each representing the prayers of the community that donated it. For an hour, he burned the bundles in a small stove at the entrance to the former mine, fanning the flames with eagle feathers to smudge the place that his people revere as the center of the cosmos. Sensors in the mine nearly a mile below ground detected the smoke, a spokesperson for SURF said. 'To see how that was put together, that floored me,' said Rylan Sprague, a botanist and member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe who chairs SURF's cultural advisory committee. 'Leave it to an artist to take something that seems so regular and turn it into something totally different.' Two Bulls said Western science often overlooks or misunderstands Indigenous ways of thinking about the world and our origins, and that he wants his art project, called Azilya — the Lakota word for smudging — to be a way for the two to meet. An exhibition of his art from his time at SURF exploring that concept is currently on display at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Several researchers and members of SURF's staff watched Two Bulls smudge the mine. Sprague said he could see from the looks on their faces that the SURF employees in attendance understood the reverence Two Bulls and his community have for the place where they work. The room was largely quiet as Two Bulls sent smoke and prayers a mile beneath the earth's surface. 'It's not a site that I think they think about as a sacred site. It's a work site,' Two Bulls said. 'I hope that that happens. That's my intention.'
