Cern's collider sets new record

The world’s largest atom smasher today set a record for high-energy collisions by crashing two proton beams at three times more force than ever before.

The $10bn (€740m) Large Hadron Collider directed the beams into each other as part of its ambitious bid to reveal details about theoretical particles and microforces.

The collisions started a new era of science for researchers working on the machine below the Swiss-French border at Geneva.

Scientists at a control room at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, or CERN, erupted into applause when the first successful collisions were recorded.