CERN moves antimatter in a truck

(c) CERN

Scientists at CERN have achieved a world first by successfully transporting antimatter across their site.

The BASE experiment team moved a cloud of 92 antiprotons using a portable trap loaded onto a truck, while keeping the particles stable. 

Antimatter is notoriously difficult to handle, as it annihilates on contact with normal matter.

The goal is to better understand why the universe is made mostly of matter, despite theories suggesting equal amounts of matter and antimatter should have existed after the Big Bang.

Researchers say the breakthrough could allow antiprotons to be transported to other labs for ultra-precise measurements.

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