{
  "id": 4809245,
  "title": "Scientists create a ‘Little Big Bang’ to study how the early Universe formed",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/scientists-create-a-little-big-bang-to-study-how-the-early-universe",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-01T07:20:49.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/europe/scientists-create-a-little-big-bang-to-study-how-the-early-universe-formed-1.500658989"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists in Europe have achieved a \"Little Big Bang\" by colliding lightweight atomic nuclei, recreating conditions from the early Universe. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen and the ALICE collaboration at CERN conducted the experiment, which involved oxygen-16 and neon-20 nuclei colliding at near-light speed. This collision produced a brief, microscopic quark-gluon plasma (QGP), an extremely hot and dense state of matter that existed during the first millionth of a second following the Big Bang. At that time, protons and neutrons had not yet formed; instead, quarks and gluons freely floated as a \"soup\". As the Universe expanded and cooled, quarks and gluons combined to form protons, neutrons, and eventually atomic nuclei, which compose stars, planets, and ourselves. This breakthrough is significant because previous experiments necessitated heavy elements like lead to generate such plasma. The latest findings demonstrate that even smaller nuclei can create the extreme conditions mimicking the early Universe. By studying these micro-collisions, physicists can better understand how pure energy transformed into protons, neutrons, and atoms, shaping the world we know today. Despite the small size of the involved nuclei, the collisions generated signals consistent with the expected behavior of QGP, presenting a fluid-like expansion followed by cooling and particle reversion. Associate Professor You Zhou, who led the experiment, stated that this research expands the boundary for how small atomic nuclei can be while still recreating this primordial matter, offering valuable insights into the fundamental conditions required for matter to transition into this extreme state and how it evolved into the forms of matter that compose everything around us.",
  "summary": "Dubai: Scientists in Europe have successfully created a tiny “ Big Bang ” by smashing lightweight atomic nuclei together, replicating conditions that existed in the early Universe. Researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen and the international ALICE collaboration working at CERN created the miniature \"Little Big Bang\" together. The experiment collided oxygen-16…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Four 'Little Red Dot' pairs hint at black hole mergers in early universe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/31/four-little-red-dot-pairs-hint-at-black-hole-mergers-in-early-universe",
        "published": "2026-08-31T19:10:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}