When scientists study the subatomic particles and
forces that bind them together, they also learn about the early history of
the universe and how it began with the "Big Bang." When the universe was
very young, atoms didn't exist, because it was too hot for them to form.
The only form of matter was a sort of "primordial soup," consisting of the
most basic particles, such as quarks and electrons. At Fermilab,
scientists use the Tevatron to make the ingredients of primordial soup by
smashing together protons and antiprotons at very high energies. The
earlier we look in time, the fewer and more basic the particles become,
and the fewer forces are needed to control their behavior. The laws of
physics are valid in the whole universe and throughout the whole of time.
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