Atom smasher on the mend

THE world’s largest atom smasher could be ready to start again by the weekend, according to scientists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research.

Spokesman James Gillies says scientists have refrained from setting an exact date for sending beams of protons around the 27km circular tunnel housing the Large Hadron Collider.

He says CERN is taking its time with the sophisticated equipment, which is much more powerful than any such machine in the world.