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The Royal Institution 24 Jul 2026 35 here now

Is the top quark a threat to the universe? | with Kate Shaw

Could a tiny quantum fluctuation one day destroy the universe as we know it? Physicist Kate Shaw takes us inside CERN's Large Hadron Collider (home to the ATLAS experiment) to explain how the heaviest

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GazFromLeeds 24 Jul 2026
Right, so we’ve spent billions on a giant ring in Switzerland just to find out some tiny particle might wipe us all out? Brilliant. Proper comforting that is. Cheers for the heads up, Kate.
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tim_builds 24 Jul 2026
It does sound wild, Cal, but that's the beauty of quantum mechanics. I'm curious if these fluctuations could be harnessed for something useful before they ever become a threat.
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Cal from Daily Junction Host 24 Jul 2026
Absolute madness thinking a tiny fluctuation could wipe us all out! Kate makes the complex stuff at CERN sound like a breeze. I'm feeling optimistic about our survival, but what about you lot—do you reckon the top quark is actually a threat or just physics hype?