SCIENTISTS have lost the battle to stop water flooding into a disused gold mine that they are planning to turn into a huge underground laboratory. Last week, the company that owns the mine switched off systems that prevent it from flooding. By the time scientists have the money to move in, it will be full of water and may take years to pump dry again.
Homestake gold mine in South Dakota is the deepest mine in the US, tunnelling 2.4 kilometres below the ground. More than a century old, it closed for business in 2001. But scientists want to convert…
