There's a super big tunnel that makes a ring way underground under France and Switzerland and tomorrow (or tonight our time???) they are going to shoot tiny matter at itself to make collisions that are supposed to be like the Big Bang. Then they will test to see what happens. Why? Well, matter is not really something we know anything about. All the matter we know makes up about 4 per cent of the universe. So this wild and crazy (and very expensive) science experiment that the Europeans are doing will test for four things.
It will look for signs of new physics, including the origins of mass and extra dimensions.
It look for clues to the nature of dark matter.
It will study a liquid form of matter called quark-gluon plasma that existed shortly after the Big Bang.
It will try to investigate what happened to the missing anti-matter in our universe after the Big Bang.
Critics say it might just make a bunch of black holes. They can suck up the whole solar system. Maybe. Oh my. So if you feel a giant earthquake, just assume everything is sucking towards France.
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Comments: 88
ha ha
This doesn't mean France sucks, does it?
I'll met you on the other side.
- yeah Lacey, this is a "Duck and Cover" moment - ha ha
But I don't remember.
But I will also become intermingled with your pet.
And you with my kitchen.
ha ha
They now say they aren't offering that brand of beer at the celebration party tomorrow (if it works the scientists are going to party down - they are so European).
Yes indeedy!
Thanks for posting to Science for Everyone, which Kay, is a new group on Gather. JD Blackstar (well named for this topic IMO) has also posted on this topic. I think that we might not make it to France tomorrow, because they arent doing the actual colliding until next month. But I think it will be before the elections. Sheesh, these French, they can never resist screwing with America, can they?
"This is an enormous machine. The thing you have got to be careful of is this proton beam will be unforgiving.
"Trying to make a beam of energetic protons go in a circle when they want to go in a straight line, you want to make sure they don't veer off and hit something. All accelerators, even down to medical accelerators, produce radiation, and you have to make sure you have proper precautions for radiation.
"Cern has many, many years of experience. The risks are very much under control. We are treated the same as nuclear power stations."
The public could rest easy about disaster scenarios of the LHC unleashing a black hole that would swallow Earth, he said. "Cern has been under review and we have been shown to meet all safety standards.
" In terms of the black hole scenario, LHC is safe."
The aim of today's experiment was to get low-intensity proton beams circulating smoothly around the entire ring.
"We can only collide (protons) once we get the particles reliably circulating."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4687044a19753.html
If we "go", we have to go by way of a giant sucking hole in France. How depressing.
On the other hand, I have an excuse to put off all that laundry one more day just in case.
And me with her office toys. And the Great Wall of China !!!
At least the giant sucking sound that does us all in won't be thanks to Ross Perot (anybody else remember that one?)
I'm going to assume I'm not dead unless I wake up back at my old job, after which I will assume I have died and gone to hell.
Marge -- I agree with your outlook.
Sy -- I am not taking this whole thing very seriously.
Interminglers -- that's my shoe, and if you don't mind, I'd really like my bra and lampshade back. Also the colander.
I need to finish my laundry also.
I also did dishes today. Exciting huh?
wow, that sounds kinda kinky.
I think I might liked being sucked into another dimension at certain times of the month!
What?!(interrobang)
I did not know that you were a creationist, Sandy.
Just practicing my interrobang. If it doesn't work, I'm deleting the evidence.
Stephen Hawking is betting that the LHC won't find the Higgs boson (the so-called "God particle"); he's got 100 pounds riding on it. I don't know if it will or not, but either way I think the LHC opens up a whole new era of particle physics.
I'm practicing with Andrea's interrobang, too.
I must remember to keep it in a safe place. My ? character widget doesn't seem to have one.
So please dont be relieved or disappointed (depending on how your life is going) when tomorrow comes and goes like normal. Worry about some time in mid October or whenever. Now that I think about it, worry about early November too, but for a different reason.
I made that up. Too bad right? I could see you all considering the possibilities.
So ... it's true? ... mini black holes can't suck in the whole solar system if hanging around?
I wonder if Stephen hawking will win his bet. I would never dream of betting against him.
(but I hope they do find new "things" in this experiment - how very fascinating)
TODAY:
"My first thought was relief," said Evans, who has been working on the project since its inception in 1984. "This is a machine of enormous complexity. Things can go wrong at any time. But this morning has been a great start."
THINGS CAN GO WRONG AT ANY TIME????
ROTFLOL
Very cool stuff.
Interesting side note - Yesterday, Sept 10th saw an unusually high number of large earthquakes across the globe. Japan, Indonesia, Iran and Chile all had big ones. hmmm...
But we already learned one things from this. Now evrerybody knows gluons are sub-atomic particles. Before most people thought they were something used by drag queens.
There cannot be such a thing as a mini black hole. In a black hole time and space cease to exist so black holes are infinite - or one size fits all if you prefer.
Unless of course all the theories are wrong.
(now I'm waiting for a more scientific explanation)