On a Friday afternoon, a small group of scientists gathered in front of a bank of computer screens near a Ping-Pong table in a warehouse close to Britain’s Oxford University. Scattered conversations and laughter hushed as a siren started blaring. One of the scientists began calling out, “10 … 20 … 30 …,” as a hulking machine behind thick walls in the next room was pumped with electromagnetic energy. Within seconds, he gave the command: “Send trigger!” A sudden bang like a shotgun blast reverberated through the building. The equivalent of hundreds of lightning strikes going off at once had just exploded. “Well done, everyone,” someone said after a few moments, and the chatter resumed. The scientists had just taken another small step toward harnessing the power of the universe, and the weekend beckoned. ‘There is no doubt in […]