TechMYTH OR FACT?
A South Dakota gold mine now hunts neutrinos
The lab's detectors will be filled with liquid argon kept below minus three hundred degrees Fahrenheit, and the beam comes from Illinois; the gold is long gone.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Hank Ledger on Weekend EditionPublished
Photo: Gary Chancey · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsWatch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Hank Ledger on this story, from Weekend Edition at 12:35 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Guardian's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Guardian: “From gold rush to cosmic questions: a South Dakota mine and the search for the secrets of the universe”, with reporting from SSBCrack News and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 12:35 PM ET on Weekend Edition, by Dr. Nina Byte and Hank Ledger.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- The GuardianFrom gold rush to cosmic questions: a South Dakota mine and the search for the secrets of the universe
- SSBCrack NewsGroundbreaking Neutrino Experiment Set to Begin in South Dakota's Historic Mine - SSBCrack News facts used on air
- Brookhaven National LaboratoryBNL facts used on air
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentA former gold mine in South Dakota is now a physics lab, the Guardian reports, about a mile beneath the Black Hills near the town of Lead.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo they dug for gold and found a better hole.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe Homestake mine closed in 2001.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentNow scientists are building giant detectors there to study neutrinos, particles that pass through nearly everything, and possibly answer some big questions about existence.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWhy a mile down?
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentPlain answer: the notes I have don't say why.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentWhat they do say is that the excavation removed eight hundred thousand tons of rock, and the detector will hold liquid argon colder than minus three hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEight hundred thousand tons. For something that goes through everything anyway.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe experiment isn't finished, either. Engineers are only due to begin assembling four detectors, so no secrets of the universe yet.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentI rule it MYTH: depth alone isn't value. Purpose is.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorUnderstood. I've buried my lunch two feet down in the yard, and I expect a discovery by Friday.
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Photo: US gov · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Guinnog · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: The White House · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Phenoptix · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, November 1, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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