Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe at SLAC

Bay Curious

KQED

History, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.9 • 999 Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2024

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On Interstate 280, just south of the Sand Hill Road exit, near Stanford, there is this overpass that crosses over a long, skinny building. Bay Curious listener Eric Nelson has wondered what that building is for years. Turns out, scientists are unraveling the mysteries of the universe inside SLAC. We take you on a tour. Additional Reading: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe Inside SLAC Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Transcript

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0:00.0	From K-QED.
0:03.0	Hey everyone, I'm Olivia Allen Price, and this is Bay Curious.
0:08.0	Should you find yourself driving on Interstate 280, just south of the Sand Hill Road exit near Stanford, there is this overpass that crosses
0:16.4	over a long skinny building.
0:19.5	And when I say long, I do mean long. At nearly two miles, it's one of the longest buildings on the planet.
0:27.0	Eric Nelson of Petaluma has wondered about it for years.
0:32.0	What's that huge long building on the side of 280 that I drive by all the time but really have no idea what it is?
0:40.0	Turns out drivers crossing over that long skinny building are mere meters away from one of the most advanced technology labs in the world.
0:48.5	A place where scientists are exploring how the universe works at the biggest and smallest levels.
0:56.0	Inside the lab, particles travel at speeds that would put any hot rod to shame.
1:00.8	I'm talking 669 million miles per hour that's just shy of the speed of light.
1:07.9	We called up Stanford to ask what's up with this thing and they said come on over we give tours so today on the show we're
1:15.3	heading inside the Slack National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park
1:20.2	Slack used to stand for the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, but now it's just
1:26.1	Slack, not an acronym.
1:31.0	Get ready to have your mind a little bit blown, or a lot of bit blown, if you zoned out during high school physics class like I did.
1:39.0	That's all just ahead on Bay Curious. I'm Olivia Allen Price.
1:45.0	Support for Bay Curious is brought to you by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company,
1:49.0	still family owned, operated, and argued over.
1:52.0	Explore their brews wherever fine beverages are. owned, operated, and argued over.
1:52.6	Explore their brews wherever fine beverages are sold
1:55.8	and taste how trailblazing runs in the family.
	...

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