Big Bang

GENEVA — Scientists claimed a breakthrough yesterday in solving one of the biggest riddles of physics, successfully trapping the first “antiatom’’ in a quest to understand what happened to all the antimatter that has vanished since the big bang. An international team of physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, managed to create an atom of antihydrogen and then hold onto it long enough to demonstrate that it can be studied in the lab. “For us it’s a big breakthrough because it means we can take the next step, which is to try...

Scientists say a Big Bang machine, where high-energy beams of protons are sent crashing into each other at incredible speeds, is now able to operate at a record new energy level, improving the prospect of scientific breakthroughs. Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, say the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider in a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva has begun operating at 8 trillion electron volts, greater than any previous physics accelerator.

Scientists say a Big Bang machine, where high-energy beams of protons are sent crashing into each other at incredible speeds, is now able to operate at a record new energy level, improving the prospect of scientific breakthroughs. Researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, say the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider in a 27-kilometer (17-mile) tunnel under the Swiss-French border at Geneva has begun operating at 8 trillion electron volts, greater than any previous physics accelerator.

The geeks have bragging rights over the superstar strivers. The CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" had a slightly larger audience than Fox's "American Idol" during the half hour when the shows were in head-to-head competition on Thursday, the Nielsen Co. said. The advantage was slight — 16.13 million to 15.56 million — but significant. It is believed to be the first scripted series to beat the Fox juggernaut in head-to-head competition. That speaks to a slow start for "American Idol" this year, even though the show's Wednesday edition was the top-rated program of...

NEW YORK -- Two Americans were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics yesterday for measuring the oldest light in the heavens, a feat described as "one of the greatest discoveries of the century" that convinced skeptics of the big bang theory of the universe's origin. George F. Smoot, 61, of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, Calif., and John C. Mather, 60, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will share the $1.4 million prize equally for their groundbreaking work.

Universe of nothing Since time immemorial, curious people have asked where the universe came from. Nowadays we have a secular answer: the Big Bang. But we can still ask where the Big Bang came from; and we can still wonder, sensibly enough, how something (the universe) could come from nothing (if that is, in fact, what preceded it). In his new book, “On Being,” Peter Atkins, a British chemist and science writer, offers an intriguing answer to those questions. To understand how something can come out of nothing, he writes, you have to appreciate the fact that “there probably isn’t anything here anyway.”...

In Sarah Walker’s vertiginously expansive paintings, geological patterns, scabby organic patches, and angular networks of crystalline lattice are layered over bright orange lines traversing deep blue space. Up close you see that the forms of many elements are elaborated in intricate detail; they look as if they were derived from photographs made by specialized scientific cameras. These complicated, futuristic paintings are among the most impressive works in ‘‘Big Bang! Abstract Art for the 21st Century,’’ an exhibition at the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park.

CAMBRIDGE - The Cantata Singers' pairing of obscure works by Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt Saturday at First Church, Congregational, was the kind of masterstroke that looks obvious - after someone else has thought of it. Schnittke was born in Russia of Volga German Jewish parents and spent the end of his life - he died in 1998 - in Hamburg. Pärt was born in Estonia and lived in Vienna and Berlin before returning to his native country at the turn of the century. Schnittke's early influence was Shostakovich; Pärt's was Schoenberg and serialism.

So what, you might be thinking. Another Sherlock Holmezzzz. And that would be a fair so what, given the fact that we’ve been swimming in Sherlocks since he first appeared in the 1880s. And I’m not just talking about adaptations of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes; I’m talking about Sherlock knockoffs on TV’s countless forensic dramas, including the “CSI’’ shows, “The Mentalist,’’ and “Bones,’’ not to mention the most Sherlockian of them all, medical detective Dr. Gregory House, who even has his own Watson — Wilson.

Here's one more reason to love technology: It makes it so much easier to keep the kids quiet during Memorial Day car trips. Just toss a tablet or smartphone stuffed with apps onto the back seat. But which apps? Luckily, there are plenty of good ones. Some, like Apple Inc.'s iMovie, are mainstream apps that are ideal creative tools for children. Others, like Children TV and Famigo Sandbox, are clever little programs that lock out inappropriate content to instantly child-proof your mobile device.

CAMBRIDGE - The Cantata Singers' pairing of obscure works by Alfred Schnittke and Arvo Pärt Saturday at First Church, Congregational, was the kind of masterstroke that looks obvious - after someone else has thought of it. Schnittke was born in Russia of Volga German Jewish parents and spent the end of his life - he died in 1998 - in Hamburg. Pärt was born in Estonia and lived in Vienna and Berlin before returning to his native country at the turn of the century. Schnittke's early influence was Shostakovich; Pärt's was Schoenberg and serialism.

Universe of nothing Since time immemorial, curious people have asked where the universe came from. Nowadays we have a secular answer: the Big Bang. But we can still ask where the Big Bang came from; and we can still wonder, sensibly enough, how something (the universe) could come from nothing (if that is, in fact, what preceded it). In his new book, “On Being,” Peter Atkins, a British chemist and science writer, offers an intriguing answer to those questions. To understand how something can come out of nothing, he writes, you have to appreciate the fact that “there probably isn’t anything here anyway.”...

GENEVA — Scientists claimed a breakthrough yesterday in solving one of the biggest riddles of physics, successfully trapping the first “antiatom’’ in a quest to understand what happened to all the antimatter that has vanished since the big bang. An international team of physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, managed to create an atom of antihydrogen and then hold onto it long enough to demonstrate that it can be studied in the lab. “For us it’s a big breakthrough because it means we can take the next step,...

GENEVA — The world’s largest atom smasher conducted its first experiments at conditions nearing those after the Big Bang, breaking its own record for high-energy collisions with proton beams crashing into each other yesterday at three times more force than ever before. In a milestone for the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider’s ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, took high-tech photographs so they could study the disintegrating protons after they...

GENEVA - It has been called an Alice in Wonderland investigation into the makeup of the universe - or dangerous tampering with nature that could spell doomsday. Whatever the case, the most powerful atom-smasher ever built comes online Wednesday, eagerly anticipated by scientists worldwide who have awaited this moment for two decades. The multibillion-dollar Large Hadron Collider will explore the tiniest particles and come ever closer to reenacting the big bang, the theory that a colossal explosion created the universe.

It's officially fall, and time to face facts. Despite recent balmy signs to the contrary, golf season is slipping away. If you haven't had enough of the game to sustain you through winter, there is hope. If, on the contrary, you're prepared to stow the clubs, think again. You could soon be wishing you hadn't been so hasty after you realize that the PGA Tour has seven tournaments scheduled after its recent "season-ending" playoffs. Either way, if you want to ensure one last big hurrah, the Pinehurst Resort is here for you. The North Carolina retreat,...

GENEVA - It has been called an Alice in Wonderland investigation into the makeup of the universe - or dangerous tampering with nature that could spell doomsday. Whatever the case, the most powerful atom-smasher ever built comes online Wednesday, eagerly anticipated by scientists worldwide who have awaited this moment for two decades. The multibillion-dollar Large Hadron Collider will explore the tiniest particles and come ever closer to reenacting the big bang, the theory that a colossal explosion created the universe.

GENEVA — The world’s largest atom smasher conducted its first experiments at conditions nearing those after the Big Bang, breaking its own record for high-energy collisions with proton beams crashing into each other yesterday at three times more force than ever before. In a milestone for the $10 billion Large Hadron Collider’s ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, took high-tech photographs so they could study the disintegrating protons after...

These two guys are really nerdy. Really, really nerdy. They're so nerdy they play Klingon Boggle and obsess over "Battlestar Galactica" DVDs and sketch out math equations on chalkboards in their spare time. They're so nerdy their social lives don't extend much beyond MySpace and MMORPGs - you know, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. They're so nerdy, they . . . And so it goes on CBS's "The Big Bang Theory," which clubs us over the head with the same that's-how-nerdy-they-are jokes over and over again.

Amid booing by the locals, David Ortiz, Manny Ramírez, and Mike Lowell stood near the Red Sox on-deck circle. Ramírez, just thrown out at the plate after Ortiz crossed it, started to walk toward the infield, his finger pointed in the air, the umpires' signal for a home run. It was all the pleading he would do. And all in vain. So he continued to left field, leaving manager Terry Francona to do the arguing for him, J.D. Drew, and the team. Though Drew's shot -- a three-run first-inning home run, replays showed -- was only an RBI double in the boxscore, and Francona's tirade resulted...