Cern laboratory: Plunging into the unknown

CERN is the European Organization for Nuclear Research, the world's largest particle physics centre. It sits astride the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva.

CERN is a laboratory where scientists unite to study the building blocks of matter and the forces that hold them together. CERN exists primarily to provide them with the necessary tools. These are accelerators, which accelerate particles to almost the speed of light and detectors to make the particles visible.

Founded in 1954, the laboratory was one of Europe's first joint ventures and includes now 20 Member States.

BBC News, 27.2.07: Milestone for giant physics lab http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6402493.stm

Website: CERN http://public.web.cern.ch/Public/Welcome.html

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