SMRTR Science & EngineeringAug 30, 2026Wired

Scientists Create the Littlest Big Bang to Study the Universe's Origins

SMRTR summary

CERN scientists created tiny "little big bangs" by colliding oxygen and neon atoms, generating quark-gluon plasma, the hot soup that existed microseconds after the universe began. Previously, only heavy elements like lead could produce this state, but this breakthrough pushes the boundaries of how small collisions can recreate primordial matter.

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