Aug 29, 2008 - 16:19

Court rejects protest against Big Bang machine

The European Court of Human Rights has rejected a complaint against the planned launch of the world's most powerful particle accelerator near the Swiss-French border.

Opponents, including the German biochemist Otto Rössler, tried to block the experiment due to begin on September 10, saying it would result in black holes that could suck up the Earth.

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (Cern) welcomed the court ruling on Friday. It dismisses accusations that the experiment is irresponsible and risky.

The court is still to decide on allegations that the experiment with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) violates the right to life.

The machine, housed in a circular tunnel near Geneva, will try to recreate conditions just after the so-called Big Bang - the presumed birth of the universe.

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