Narrator: THIS IS THE EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH -- CERN. CERN IS HOME TO HALF OF THE WORLD'S PARTICLE PHYSICISTS AND THE BIGGEST PARTICLE-HUNTING MACHINE THAT HAS EVER BEEN BUILT, THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER, OR LHC. INSIDE THIS PIPE, TWO BEAMS OF PROTONS ARE SENT HURTLING AROUND A NEARLY 17-MILE LOOP BEFORE BEING SMASHED TOGETHER TO CREATE SUBATOMIC PARTICLES. IT RE-CREATES THE CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED JUST AFTER THE BIG BANG. THE BIG BANG WAS AN EXPLOSION THAT HAPPENED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE WHEN ALL MATTER WAS CREATED. SO THIS IS THE YEAR ZERO, AND IF WE DRAW A LINE HERE... Narrator: FROM THIS POINT, THE UNIVERSE EXPANDED, GETTING COOLER WITH ITS ENERGY DISPERSING. ...TO WHERE WE ARE IN THE UNIVERSE NOW WHERE HUMANS EXIST, THAT'S 14 BILLION YEARS. Narrator: OUR SUN WAS FORMED 9 BILLION YEARS AGO, WHILE THE FIRST STARS FORMED OVER 8 BILLION YEARS EARLIER. BUT THE LHC IS ABLE TO LOOK EVEN FURTHER BACK IN TIME TO WHEN ALL THAT EXISTED WERE THE FUNDAMENTAL BUILDING BLOCKS OF THE UNIVERSE, PARTICLES. Dr. Martin: SO IN A WAY, THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER IS LIKE A TIME MACHINE TRYING TO CREATE THE CONDITIONS THAT HAPPENED JUST IN THE FEW MILLIONTHS OF A SECOND AFTER THE BIG BANG TO SEE WHAT PARTICLES EXISTED WHEN THE ENERGY DENSITY OF THE UNIVERSE WAS REALLY, REALLY HIGH. Narrator: AT THE MOMENT OF COLLISION, THE ENERGY IS CONVERTED INTO MASS IN THE FORM OF THOUSANDS OF PARTICLES. ALTHOUGH MOST WILL BE ONES WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT, THE HOPE IS THAT UNDISCOVERED PARTICLES MIGHT ALSO BE CREATED THAT COULD HELP EXPLAIN SOME OF THE MYSTERIES OF HOW THE UNIVERSE WAS FORMED. [ BLOWS ]