Physicists at CERN have taken a major step forward in antimatter research, according to the European science organization.

For the first time, scientists have managed to produce antimatter atoms and trap them using magnetic fields, the world's premier particle physics laboratory announced yesterday.

Learning how to trap the antimatter atoms, which were antihydrogen, will allow scientists from CERN's Alpha experiment to study the antiparticles, CERN told ZDNet UK yesterday. "This is a momentous step in the study of antimatter," Alpha experiment spokesman Jeffrey Hangst said.

Read more of "Cern scientists trap antimatter" at ZDNet UK.