A Furry Animal Shut Down The World's Largest Particle Collider, Officials Say

The small mammal received a fatal lesson about electricity.

A furry creature solidified its place in the history of science on Thursday when it apparently gnawed through a transformer, shutting down the world’s most powerful particle collider.

Plans to restart the Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile-long particle accelerator on the Swiss-French border, were delayed several days because of the wildlife incident and several other small factors, the Associated Press reports.

Multiple news outlets identified the culprit as a weasel, but NPR notes that an official European Organization for Nuclear Research document suggests the animal may have been a marten.

The charred remains of the small beast were reportedly found by engineers investigating the situation, according to ABC News.

Spokesman Arnaud Marsollier confirmed that the animal had died, the AP reports.

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