Large Hadron Collider gets switched on again

[Jubal]

Large Hadron Collider restarts after two-year rebuild

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-32160755

The Large Hadron Collider has restarted, with protons circling the machine's 27km tunnel for the first time since 2013.

Particle beams have now travelled in both directions, inside parallel pipes, at a whisker below the speed of light.

Actual collisions will not begin for at least another month, but they will take place with nearly double the energy the LHC reached during its first run.

Scientists hope to glimpse a "new physics" beyond the Standard Model.

Rolf Heuer, the director-general of Cern, which operates the LHC, told engineers and scientists at the lab: "Congratulations. Thank you very much everyone... now the hard work starts".

Particle physics is once again go!

[comrade_general]

[Glaurung]

And, it turns out, we can also use it as a rain gauge and earthquake detector - see the inevitable BBC News article.

[Jubal]

That's fascinating