Why is CERN making antimatter? The lab is producing the most unstable substance on Earth.
Antimatter is like a mirror version of normal matter. Its particles have the same mass but opposite charge, for example, a positron is the opposite of an electron. When matter and antimatter meet, they instantly destroy each other and turn into pure energy.
Scientists believe antimatter and matter were created in equal amounts during the Big Bang. But today, antimatter is extremely rare. That’s why places like CERN create it in controlled experiments.
Antimatter can also form naturally, such as in cosmic ray collisions or certain radioactive processes. However, only tiny amounts have ever been combined into simple anti-atoms in labs. Even with advanced particle accelerators, scientists have produced just a few nanograms in total.
Why it matters:
Studying antimatter helps scientists understand one of the biggest mysteries in physics, why the universe is made mostly of matter instead of antimatter. It could also reveal new physics beyond current theories and improve technologies like medical imaging (for example, PET scans).
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