Research labs are essential for improving the health and life of millions across the globe. The labs could be for medicine, IT, space exploration or defence and here are some of the top labs designed for these purposes:
- Palo Alto Research Center Inc
This lab has given us many things that have transformed our lives completely, such as the Ethernet, PCs and laser printers. It was set up in 1970 as a part of Xerox and soon became a leader in the IT sector.
- The Broad Institute
Established in 2004, the Broad Institute often works closely with MIT and Harvard and has developed therapeutic drugs and extensive research into different cancers and genes. It is also home to one of the largest genome sequencing labs in the world. When labs need to move, leave it to the experts in Laboratory Relocation like https://www.aportglobal.com/
- LIGO
This lab made history when it became the first to see gravitational waves. LIGO stands for Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. It is a large observatory that is capable of detecting these cosmic waves.
- Bell Labs
Named after Alexander Graham Bell and established in the 1880s, this is a private institution lab with huge influence. Their contribution has greatly impacted many fields of life, including computer programming languages and radio astronomy. No less than 13 Nobel Prizes have been given to work done at Bell Labs.
- CERN
Set up in 1954, this is a European research organisation with the largest particle accelerator on earth. It investigates the tiniest particles known in the universe and is famous for the Hadron Collider.
The cost of the world’s largest labs
Some of the most important research facilities are also among the most expensive ever built. The Large Hadron Collider at CERN involved more than 10,000 scientists from 100 nations and runs through a 27km tunnel under the border between France and Switzerland, searching for the smallest particles in the universe.
Sandia Laboratory in New Mexico cost around $80 million and houses the Z machine, described as the most powerful electrical machine on earth. It passes very high voltages through tungsten wires to create temperatures hotter than the sun. In Antarctica, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory cost about $200 million and has detected 28 neutrinos that probably came from beyond our solar system.
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Florida is home to the 45 Tesla Hybrid magnet, roughly as strong as 45,000 fridge magnets, used in biology, geochemistry and physics research. The Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, opened in 2007 at a cost of $176 million, was China’s largest single investment in a research facility.