This coming Wednesday (10th September 2008) scientists in Geneva will be conducting what is probably the biggest and riskiest experiment ever known to man.
300ft under the ground in a system of tunnels they have been building a massive machine (17 miles long) that can collide particles. When these particles collide they can create little tiny black holes which then evaporate into air. What they are aiming to do is to recreate the big bang theory which they think started the creation of earth.
Looking around the web, opinions seem to be divided on whether it is a safe practice or if it spells the end of the earth and we get swallowed up by a huge hole. Obviously the scientists conducting this research insist it is safe but others disagree. Apparently the Hawking Theory (named after Stephen Hawking who made it up) says that a black hole will evaporate within milliseconds after creation because it lacks stability. Only stable neutral black holes can suck things up like a Dyson, but they need radiation. These black holes will create radiation but they will not be neutral therefore they will dissipate into thin air. Or so Mr Hawking and his friends think.
But what if the scientists are wrong? Who are they to play God and decide to put the world at risk? Maybe there is no risk involved but as everybody knows, no machinery on earth is 100% reliable especially on such a serious thing as this.
Of course if there is a problem and we all get sucked up, it may not even happen on Wednesday, it might be later on in the week when they eventually collide these particles.
Now I am all for scientists doing research in the name of mankind – finding cures for cancers, altzeimers, tornadoes and so on, but I see no reason why we need to know how Earth was formed. Okay there was a big bang created by some geezer called Adam and his wife Eve and a hole exploded and created this beautiful globe and that is all we need to know. We don;t need to know why or how or when, we want cures for illness.
All I can see this experiement is useful for is to inflate the ego’s of these scientists to give themselves a good name.
See You next Thursday? Don’t All Fart At Once!
When i saw the title of this post i was curious as to the content!
I agree with your viewpoint though. If there is some risk why take it?!
Well I did think I should put a less rude title in, but that might not have been punchy enough.
It got your attention though
Professor Hawking said on ITN tonight that these particals collide in the Earth millions of times a day (so it must be safe as were still here). That got me wondering, if it happens so many times a day, why do need to do it again?
Hi Simon, I think that they may collide millions of times a day but maybe not all at once in such a confined space – that 17 mile tube.
I wonder if they have started it yet? I am still here and am glad to have woken up this morning so it cannot be too bad