Why the Large Hadron Collider must be stopped

I am not an intelligent designer. Nor am I a resident of France or Switzerland.

But this Large Hadron Collider experiment, in which particles are breaking the speed limit somewhere beneath the French/Swiss border and then crashing into each other like teenage drunks in fairground bumper cars scares the semi-comatose bejaysus out of me.

These scientists claim to know what they are doing. But scientists always claim to know what they are doing. Then they discover, while doing the thing that they claim to know they are doing, that they are doing something entirely different.

Is any government monitoring these people? What if the Alps are suddenly sent into orbit by two particularly control-free particles and land square on top of, I don't know, Cleveland?

This is a clear admission of their intent. And it's in French too.

(Credit: CC Robert Scoble)

Alright, sometimes experiments do have excellent unintended consequences. But not often enough. Yugoslavia was an experiment. Look what happened to that.

The subatomic particles in their long tubes will be going at just this side of the speed of light and no one, but no one, knows what will happen when they enjoy their protonic fender-bender. It's all very well for Stephen Hawking to bet $100 that the supposed "God Particle' will not be found by this experiment. It's all very well for scientists to mock Professor Otto Rossler, who says that black holes will be created that will suck the earth away.

But let me tell you this. I have proof these scientists may be several wires short of a working plug. Before they began their descent into scientific instability, these people actually made a rap video.

In this rap they declare that this madness of theirs will "rock you in the head." They rumble on about anti-matter being "matter's evil twin." And in some twisted way, they seem to want to recreate the Big Bang that made everything other than the Partridge Family and the Palin Family.

These people are clearly on an insane quest for anti-matter, the so-called evil twin. They are like the antagonists in ConAir or A Beautiful Mind, the sort of folks who want to blow up the whole world and deny Russell Crowe an award.

Is no one prepared to put a leash on this crazyfest? The first collision is due in around thirty days. Please, look at that video. Don't they look like mad people to you? They're not a day over 25 and if you're telling me they're compos mentis, I'm telling you that Amy Winehouse is taking tea with Richard Dawkins next week.

Will someone not put a stop to this? I don't care if I'm made up of tiny little bits of string. I just want to be in one piece to watch the next Superbowl, the next series of Entourage and, although this is very ambitious, the Olympics live on the West Coast.

Techies, please help me here. Well, the sane ones amongst you, anyway.

[emittman]

Wow, where do I even start. You should do a little reading about this thing, and I'm not talking about the sensationalized media stuff, I'm talking about the experiments they are running. I think we definitely have a lot to learn and don't know all the implications of our actions, but I'm glad we have the courage to further our understanding.

[NewJerseyTom]

I have to agree with Criss. I actually did a lot of reading and studies all of theories, quantum mechanics, read all the books, etc. It was pretty fascinating stuff after I retired from the military and had a lot of time on my hands. What I did learn was that this is really untested stuff. NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN. And yes, there are black holes..and guess what" If one is created..which is usually done when stars collapes on themselves, time will warp and eventually stop when we all reach the center of this collapsing universe. I for one am scared ********.

[attorneyatLOL]

What's the definition of an "experiment"? Is it performing an action for which you already have knowledge of the outcome? No, if that were the case, there would be no purpose in experimenting. This LHC is one big experiment. The scientists who claim that there is no danger here, but can't explain why, really have no idea what will happen as a result of these experiments. THEY ARE GUESSING, and they are guessing with our lives and our very planet. The simple fact of the matter is THERE IS A CHANCE THAT THIS WILL DESTROY THE EARTH, and yet they push on, bold as ever, comfortable in betting our lives for their "science." I literally cannot believe that the U.S. hasn't sent in a SEAL team or some such thing to blow this thing up. We sent in over a hundred thousand troops to take out Saddam because he might have had WMD. THE WMD IS IN SWITZERLAND FOLKS, in a series of tubes called the Large Hadron Collider. That mountain they have buried this thing in will be no protection once a black hole is created that will simply suck the mountain followed by the atmosphere, and then the rest of the Earth into its singularity.

Good game Earth, it was fun.

[Kesteral]

Let's not forget a few physical laws like the first law of thermodynamics, where you can never get more energy out of a system than what is put in. The Large Hadron Collider does pump quite a bit of energy into the particles it is accelerating, but it certainly isn't enough to blow up the Alps. The worst that could happen is that nearly all of that energy gets reflected back to the tool itself. I don't know much about the design and construction of the LHC, but I would be surprised if they didn't engineer and build the thing to withstand that type of energy.

I suppose it is theoretically possible that a miniature black hole would be generated for a fraction of a second, but the probabilities are roughly the same for that to occur anywhere else on the earth. The chance of me winning the lottery are orders of magnitude better than the chance that a black hole will occur. I don't play the lottery and the chances are still better that I win the lottery than a spontaneous black hole. I'm not worried.

[nickj1088]

Since when have Americans been satisfied with the status quo? Economists talk about us falling behind? Look no further. We have already lost. You want to know something truly frightening? Read up on quantum physics and realize that the probability of the world ending because of the LHC is on par with your genitals suddenly disappearing of your body and reappearing outside in a trash can. Looks like they already have though.

[TBaxendale]

You sir, may be the most uninformed and unreasonable individual I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. Rouge particles blowing the Alps to Cleveland?! For shame CNet!! The LHC at CERN has the potential to explain the very earliest building blocks of matter and help explain one of the fundamental questions of quantum mechanics, how does matter have mass. If through these collisions, which you so callously compared to teenage drunks in fair-ground bumper cars, reveal the existence of the Higgs Boson particles, quantum research will benefit to untold levels. I cannot ask you not to be ignorant, but I can request that you keep your mindless, uninformed banter to yourself so that others might not be tainted by you.

[jim_livingston]

Are you kidding me. Even CERN admits that the possibility of apocalyptic failure exists!!! I don't care if the odds are less than .00001%. To me and my family, risking total destruction at any odds just for the "potential" (your word) to find something that is only theory is stupid. I don't want to risk it. Where is my voice? Does not may say count as much as these scientist?! The FACT that the destruction of our planet is a real possibility means EVERYONE on it should get their say. Nobody should force me to play Russian Roulette just to "see" if God Particles exist. You sir, are the unreasonable individual.

[bobdaun]

In reply to TBaxendale :

Regarding your comment of September 10th, I feel I must point out that you are perhaps the most pompous ass ever to have tainted these pages with your self-satisfied commentary.

While chiding the author of the piece for his "mindless, uninformed banter", calling him "the most uninformed.....individual I have ever had the displeasure of encountering" and expressing the hope that "others might not be tainted by you", you yourself exhibit by your grammatical, syntactical and other linguistic shortcomings the most obvious educational deficiencies which reveal your pompous condemnation as the vain and windy intellectual posturing which it truly is.

Firstly sir, "rouge" particles certianly will not blow the Alps to Cleveland. "Rouge" is the French word for "red" and is used in English only as an old-fashioned term for ladies' blusher powder. I think that you meant to write "rogue".

Secondly, your sentence : "The LHC at CERN has the potential to explain the very earliest building blocks of matter and help explain one of the fundamental questions of quantum mechanics, how does matter have mass."

Your sentence is not a question and therefore should employ neither the question word "does", nor the syntactical arrangement of a question. It is a report of a question and should thus read ".....how matter has mass."

Thirdly, your sentence : "If through these collisions, which you so callously compared to teenage drunks in fair-ground bumper cars, reveal the existence of the Higgs Boson particles, quantum research will benefit to untold levels."

Again, you demonstrate either a profound ignorance of or a complete disregard for the basic rules of English grammar. The use of the word "through" in the first part of the principle clause requires either that a subject be employed to perform the verb "reveal" which you use after the interpolated subordinate clause or that a passive structure be used.

For example : "If through these collisions, which you so callously compared to teenage drunks in fair-ground bumper cars, scientists can reveal the existence of the Higgs Boson particles, quantum research will benefit to untold levels."

Or : "If through these collisions, which you so callously compared to teenage drunks in fair-ground bumper cars, the existence of the Higgs Boson particles is revealed, quantum research will benefit to untold levels."

Either of these sentences would be better than your poorly constructed original. However, bearing in mind your obvious educational deficiencies it would perhaps be demanding too much of you to employ such arrangements and so perhaps the simplest method would be merely to remove the word "through", thus eliminating the need for a subject in the second part of the principle clause :

"If these collisions, which you so callously compared to teenage drunks in fair-ground bumper cars, reveal the existence of the Higgs Boson particles, quantum research will benefit to untold levels."

In addition, your choice of the word "callous" is hardly appropriate. "Callous" implies insensitivity or hard-heartedness. I fail to see how the author's humourous similie in any way demonstrates insensitivity toward the suffering of others, which is the dictionary definition of "callousness".

Neither does your phrase "benefit to untold levels" meet with much approval from any who are accustommed to reading and hearing well constructed English. A simple "benefit greatly" would be a far more appropriate and less pretentious choice.

May I suggest sir that in future you should focus your attention upon correcting your own intellectual and educational shortcomings before venturing to criticise so infelicitously those of others and that you should not pretent to greater wisdom, knowledge or accomplishment than that which you in actual fact possess.

[soupesquel]

'Rouge' [sic] particles would blow the alps to Red China, not Cleveland. Or Baton Rouge, maybe. To be beaten back by the likes of Ike, Gustav or Hanna.

You meant ROGUE, didn't you? Copyedit yourself, Francis. Or maybe you actually meant the ROUGE that a pig would put on Sorry Palin's cheeks? Now there's an image! LOL! [http://Emoticon.|http://Emoticon.]

[celticbrewer]

jim_livingston, I understand your concern. Yes, the LHC does have some risk, but what doesn't? What about all the nukes in the world- some held by questionable governments? Don't they pose a greater risk? Maybe you should spend more of your time worrying about them.

[nickj1088]

@ bobdaun:

I think you are the pompous one. How long did you spend on a diatribe aimed at a blog comment's grammar? You sound like a stuck up 12th grader trying to flex your proofreading muscles.

[Renegade Knight]

You sir, are brick short of full ability to enjoy satire. Nor do you grasp that science lacks it's own hypoctratic oath. "First do no harm".

It's one thing to look at how a plant responds to light in a controlled environment. It's another to counter one valid theory (we my create a black hole that will destory the earth) with another theory (well...we might but it won't matter because they will evaporate). The thing about theory is that it's not reality. Science has reached a point where they can't sidestep the ethics of the race they are a part of. Simple things like " Don't destroy the earth, cause a plague, blow up a city, kill humans for the sake of research etc.

[Mister L]

I can not ask you to understand satire when you see it...but shouldn't that be a reasonable expectation of someone who writes like they would like us to consider them intelligent?

[trs23]

Have you been to Cleveland or even Ohio? The alps dropping on that town / state would at least make it liveable. -- And take out some of those jokers that voted for Bush.

[allenmarshall]

I voted for Bush but do not consider myself a joker. I work for the government and know firsthand that his greatest fame will be for having kept you and yours safe since 9/11. Islam is at war with us and has been for a long time and you probably haven't noticed. Only under the Bush administration has there been some awareness of it, with many "actions" to thwart serious evil. Don't use such hateful language about someone who has kept you safe and your freedom free. Not only is it undignified and unbecoming, but it shows how ignorant you are. And by the way, it offends me because I am part of the crew that has kept your rear safe. You need to be on your knees thanking God that you live in the USA.

[GoodPoint]

I hadn't thought of it that way. Good point!

[elrlamnt]

allenmarshal, your bigotry, racism and hatred towards a certain type of people keeps nobody safe, and I am deeply disturbed that self righteous fascist delusional egomaniacs like you are working for the government...

[bobdaun]

In reply to allenmarshall's comment :

Your typically ill-informed and ill-considered statements show that Islamic fundamentalists are not the only mindless fanatics out there.

Firstly, "Islam" is not at war with anybody. "Islam" is not a state, it is a term describing a basic belief system which encompasses people of many different nations and races and religious ideas.

Secondly, How many allies does the US government have which are avowedly Islamic states? What on earth do you think Saudi Arabia is, you fool? The US government went to war on behalf of Kuwait, a completely Islamic state, and based most of its troops in Saudi Arabia, another state run along stricly religious lines.

Saudi Arabia is the homeland of Islam, containing its holiest places and sites of pilgrimage, and it is a staunch ally of the US. To overlook these basic fact speaks volumes about your short-sightedness and closed-mindedness.

Thirdly, why on earth should I get down on my knees in thanks that I live in America? Imagine for example that I am were a state worker living in Stockton, California. It is a town infested with petty crime, gang violence etc. etc. As a state worker my wages would be in arrears because the governemnt couldn't get a budget together. My home has been repossessed along with that of untold thousands of others and I can't get treatment for my medical problems because I haven't been able to pay for my medical insurance. As a result I would be sick, broke and living on my parents' couch.

This situation is reflected thousands, millions of times in the lives of ordinary people all across America. What do they have to be so thankful for? How is their situation so much better than, for example, an ordinary worker in France, who benefits from affordable housing, job security, a stable economy, at least one month of paid holiday every year and free comprehensive healthcare?

You kneejerk, bigoted, jingoistic reaction is symptomatic of the arrongance and blinkered mentality which has got America into such problems both at home and abroad.

Your inability to see reason or even to enter into a reasoned discussion is shown by your accusation that the author of the original comment was "hateful" in suggesting that people who voted for Bush were "jokers". In what way is the designation "joker" hateful? I put it to you that your intolerance of people who thus disagree with your view, no matter how mildly, is the really dangeraous, hateful and fanatical standpoint.

[benjbay]

Rather Bush then that Muslem .... with the evil smile. Vote for him and US days are at an end. What do you think will happen if the Muslem is voted in??? You will have more of his Muslem brothers and sisters in the US. Do you need another 9/11. Dont think so!!!

[nickj1088]

Wow since when did CNET become a haven for racism? It's spelled "Muslim," fool. And he's Christian, anyway. Considering benjbay's IQ, I am far more afraid of whatever creed he follows.

[ZIPZING]

Congratulations on being equally as misinformed about Ohio as the misanthrope who wrote this article is about the LHC and it's experiments. A poor selection of words from a poorly educated individual. Birds of a feather.

Whats more, Ohio's economy as of last election, mirroring that of the remainder of our nation, was in such straits (as was and is everywhere else as we decline(d) into a recession) that an overwhelmingly historically Republican-minded citizenry leaned Left and broke tradition. Loss of business and jobs will do that. So I suggest you take a look at the country as a whole and see that Ohio is indeed one of the more obvious standard-bearers and cross-sections of our nation's mindset and economic status.

I suggest you be informed prior to your next 'post'.

[xcopy]

Well put trs23.

And to allenmarshall, don't do me any more favors OK? Kept us safe? You're drinking your own bathwater pal. It's from people like Bush, and you, that I want protection. A vote is a dangerous thing in the hands of an utter fool, and unfortunately, there are more of you guys than there are sane people.

If a law could be passed preventing all the bigoted, intolerant, religious fanatics and ignorant people and regions in this country from voting (there go the red states), I'd support it in a heartbeat. We've had 8 of the worst years ever, and now, due to the majority of citizens possessing limited IQs and almost no ability to reason (i.e., republicans) we may have Bush III. You people are always afraid of something, anything. You're a bunch of fear mongers, sheep,and little children.

I also think the rest of the country should get reparations from the idiots (allenmarshall et. al) that have helped ruin the country. If you voted for bush, you're an idiot, and I'd gladly ship every single one of you (men and women) over to Iraq to fix the mess you made. It's your fault and you should have to fix it, and not the innocent young men you and your leader value so little.

[sh0ckerturb0]

chris matyszczyk you sound like some 13 year old that doesn't understand why he has to go to bed early and tries to question the wisdom of his parents. Stop me if i'm wrong but is it not logical to believe that the hundreds of scientists who have spent who knows how many years studying know what they are getting themselves into after spending billions of dollars? Are you a creationist or some crazy religious freak or something?

[jainasolofel]

It's terribly offensive when people like yourself use the terms 'religious freak' and 'creationists' to describe people who are wary and synical of the hadron collider matter. I'm a christian, and i warmly welcome the prospect of us being able to prove evolutionary theories. It's a pity some people look to science as just a why and how. When you could easily view it as Science is the How, Christianity is the Why.
I'd advise you be more careful about how you go about criticisng those who may not share your enthusiasm on the matter. They have every right to be worried. Science is just as capable of failing as any other. And the fact that a bunch of 20-something year olds could possibly create black holes (depsite them being the size of electron, or so is said) is a cause of some concern. I'll be awaiting the results with great enthusiasm, depsite some concerns. Don't criticise those who have these fears. They are entitled to say as much. And so are you.

[T38]

As a crazy religious freak myself, I find your comparison of the author of this article to someone like myself to be highly insulting. I personally am very interested in what the scientists will discover with the LHC, and am *not* living in fear that the sky is falling, as the author of this article is.

'kay, thanks.

[stuzzo]

Of course Fermilab in the good old US of A has been doing similar science for a long time (albeit with not the same potential yields) without incident.

The flat earth goes on :)

[nongeekgeek]

Well at least Ohio would have better skiing if the ALPS came crashing. It is a interesting subject, and the scientists know as much about the LHC as they did with the first A-BOMB. People thought it would melt the Earth on the first blast. Just sit back, take a little chill pill, listen to some Hendrix on an iPod and a Boostaroo. Then wait for some better ski spots to appear, or wait for the black hole tourist attraction to open up.

[gsr151]

Whats wrong with you? if the Alps fell from the sky and crashed on to Utah the impact would turn them to rubble and they wouldn't be ski spots anymore.

A blackhole would make for a great tourist attraction tho.

[EmpyrealFantasy]

I can't seem to tell whether I should slap them on the nose with a firm, "No!" or run away screaming. Who in the world (other than these geniuses) thought that messing with this on such a scale was a good idea? I admit to not understanding a lot of what they're aiming for or the processes they are using, but as a person of moderate intelligence in a technological world... I think they might be going a wee bit far.

And the rap video? Yikes. I thought you were joking. -_-; The opening reminded me of a bad 80's flashback. I'm still not convinced it wasn't.

[Oak76]

sigh what you dont realize is that the rap video was made by a student from Michigan university to show her support for the project. If you really think that those were the scientists i think you need to either go back to school or take your medication.

[nickj1088]

Dude just chill and snort a Zanex. There is a particle accelerator under Stanford. And Chicago. And New York. And 100 other locations around the world.

[BinJabreel]

Can't ask him to be ignorant?

I ask everybody not to be ignorant. That's ALL I ask from everyone!

[winnersmw]

It seems to me liek you are a closed-minded, ignorant fool who has no idea what he is talking about. These scientists do know what they are doing, and they are only doing things that happen naturally every day. This is one of the greatest leaps in man-kind. The information we will learn from this will tell far more than just waht a "god particle" is, and if you took the time to read there entire website instead of just there rap video you would realize that by doing these experiments we will learn things such as what holds the particles of the atom together, what creates mass, what the universe was like seconds after its creation, how the universe was created, how gravity works, if fourth, fifth or even sixth dimentions exist, etc.. So you can see that it is much more than just a "god particle". And the thing about the black holes: If a black hole were to be created it would be so microscopically small that it will evaporate and disapear within a billionth of a seond after it is created. Plus, particles collide like this every day everywhere and nothing terrible happens. They actually have an entire page on CERN's(organization doing these experiments) website explaining all these false misconceptions about there experiment. Of course, you were too ignorant to think of reading that, right? If you happen to come to your senses the website explaining the false misconceptions about this is http://public.web.cern.ch/public/en/LHC/Safety-en.html

[FatallyFlawless]

close-minded ignorant fool sir would be you. scientists know what they are doing, and they are only doing things that happen naturally everyday. ARE YOU ******* SERIOUS?! most scientists are the ones trying to stop this thing. and things that happen naturally every day? since when are multi-billion dollar doomsday devices created everyday. or naturally. Like mother ******* nature just creates these machines outta thin air right?! everyhting you just tried explaing that we will find out from this experiment we ALREADY know! and you completely contradict your self with the black hole and the dimensions. if the black holes are too small and disapear then how in the hell with will we learn about the dimensions? your such a hypocrite. and things that happen everyday? are you ******** me?! if it happened everyday they wouldnt need to create a doomsday device! and yes i read the website. its complete ********. and it doesnt sound like you read it at all. you all contridict yourselves. and you people are ignorant. the bible even states that man will destroy themselves. thanks. i blame you. :]

[egfp27]

I am a scientist and I find your statement disgraceful. Is this how you educate the lay public about the activities of scientist and the benefits of their work ? by ridiculing people who ask questions and have concerns? The world needs to listen to what scientists have to say, but if they speak with this kind of arrogance, I cannot fault non-scientists for tuning us out. If you are indeed a scientist who knows something about this or works in this area, you have a responsibility to behave professionally when you communicate with the public. Your job, your work, and the future of the world at large depend on it.

[HisOmniscience]

To FatallyFlawless: some things about the LHC that you don't seem to understand. The LHC is replicating the same events that happen in the universe in a controlled setting so that definitive evidence can be obtained. It is not physically possible to observe and obtain data from high energy collisions in nature. Also, you seem to be confusing black holes and other dimensions. Yes, it is possible for the LHC to create a black hole, but as others have pointed out, these black holes are too small to interact with any matter before dissipating. By the way, why are you cursing (or implying it, at least) when trying to refute someone's post. Finally, why do you insist on calling the LHC a doomsday device? It is a particle accelerator, nothing more, nothing less.

[deusXmchna]

to "FatallyFlawless" here: Most scientists are not trying to stop this thing. Particle collisions happen every day- not particle colliders are being created every day, but we do have other particle colliders. By your logic, since digital watches aren't being created by nature, out of thin air, every day, we should fear them. The author "winnersmw" did not contradict himself about the black holes. The HPC wasn't created to study black holes. Your counter-arguments all fall apart. The bible states a lot of things, some have been verified/verifiable- some have not. It doesn't state as a basic tenet that mankind as a whole will destroy itself, but if you are able to find a verse that says we will destroy ourselves as a species, how do you know that its the building of the HPC, rather than the manufacturing of q-tips that will do it? Chill. When you're still here after they smash the particles together, you can go back to yelling and stamping your feet at something else.

[nickj1088]

Zanex, dude. Zanex.

[nickj1088]

Zanex, dude. Zanex.

[Renegade Knight]

If they knew what they were doing they would not need to do the experiments to begin with. It's because they want to learn and don't know that they are moving forward. The problem being that scienctists who also know what they are doing also have alternate theories building from the same pool of knowledge that have a very bad outcome.

Who do you believe? Scientist A who doesn't really know the outcome of the expertiment but who says. "It's all good" or Scientist B who doesn't really know the outcome of the experiment but who says "we have a potentail problem here?"

The reality is you actually have to perform the experiment to figure out which is right. If one theoritical outcome is the end of earth. Gee Chuck, I'm thinking there is a problem with the experiment.

[rnaoncfixd]

I just can't trust anyone who tries to trash someone's opinion and claim that they are smarter when they have spelling errors and grammatical mistakes.

[navderek]

Don't write an article about something you know absolutely nothing about. If your so concerned with humanity there are a lot worse things happening in the world and REAL bombs dropping and killing people. So don't get your panties up in a bunch if a couple tiny particles that you can't even see are going to blow up in an explosion so small that we need the most advanced & sophisticated equipment to measure.

As usual, a human fears what he doesn't understand.

-Derek

[Renegade Knight]

Destruction of life on eath via black hole. Destruction of life on earth due to biological experiments.

There are multiple areas of science you can look at with unknown outcomes that have the potential to do great harm. Are you so ethicaly challenged that you don't understand the concept he's getting at?

[MarkyMark007]

Is this journalism? Ridiculous article with no proper reason or justification.

[bpabbott]

You're scared of things imagined ... so the world should police those who are doing things you *imagine* might harm you?

There is absolutely *no* evidence that the collider can cause anyone any harm.

Even if a black hole were created it is too small to assimilate additional mass. It would radiate/evaporate into non-existence in pico-seconds (but with some luck it would be seen on their cameras).

In the event, we could created a sustaining black hole, it would still take millions of years to swallow the earth. It would quickly settle near the earths center and only engulf the mass that fell into it. Beginning with the mass of *2* protons its gravity would not be sufficient to attract much of anything for a very long time.

[mensa185]

Why would a blackhole evaporate? Why would an object growing exponentially take so long to swallow the earth? Why does anyone have the right to create anything that could swallow the Earth in 5 days or 5 billion years? A mass of 2 protons may not attract anything, but could bump into something and start to grow exponentially. Are we capable of containing a black hole to prevent this for an infinite duration? Don't mean to pick on you, but most of the comments by "educated" intellectuals with PhD's seem to be missing the point. Most of my friends who received their PhD's from Harvard and Stanford weren't the best judge of consequenses and weren't all that intelligent. I wonder why people's curiosity would allow for a greater than zero chance of non-survival of the planet we reside on?

[Renegade Knight]

Your logic doen't work.
"Even if we do manage to destroy the earth "I think" (that's your imagination kicking in) it will take a long time so it's ok.

[daniel hobbs]

some people have very active imaginations

[bakrsdzn]

You are not an expert. Therefore, your concerns are unfounded.

[sandle1]

Is it just me, or there something slightly wrong with this logic?

[MARKYWALSH]

Who could really be classified as an "expert" on an unknown?

[pmgreer]

Am I the only one who sensed quite a bit of Colbert-like sarcasm throughout the article? You people take everything way too seriously...

[GoodPoint]

No, I did too. I'm having a very hard time taking it seriously. :)

[fr4nx0r]

Sarcasm? Yes. Colbert-like? No. Colbert is actually funny.

[sandle1]

Thank goodness someone else saw it. I was beginning to think nobody else actually read the article before piling on the author. I know that a certain percentage of the population is incapable of understanding sarcasm, but come on people. It's humour - get over yourselves.

[jml1963]

Yep! I actually found his article amusing and did not for one second think he was serious about his claims or fears. His jibe about it even being written in French should have given things away!

Its easy to see those who believe the glass is half full and live on the brighter side of life.

I know very little about physics, science in general but am interested in this "new" technology because of it has the potential to be a key, which may unlock the so many mysteries i.e. what is the purpose of having a brain as big as we have if we are using such a limited amount of it, the rest of the human body seems to being used extremely efficiently - what is the 90-93% ± being used for???

I suspect the LHC has the potential to reveal missing reactions/chain reactions which will assist humanity in medical, scientific of neurological progress.

By writing what he has, guys like Chris bring a debate on to the floor, which places this kind of subject into the "normal" arena, so that people like me get to know that something of this magnitude is happening.

[steven_o]

Who is this guy? Do they let anybody write stuff under the heading "cnet news"? Or is this supposed to be satire?

[crnkyadmin]

Maybe it is supposed to be satire. I can't tell with the news anymore. That either says something about the state of journalism or I have lost my sense of humor.

[colt_777]

I agree dude. He writes like a teenager on a Good Charlotte forum.

[mphelmsman]

What scares me is that this guy might actually get payed to bring up all this manure.

The next thing you know they'll be trying to repeal the law of Gravity. :)

[pmgreer]

Am I the only one who sensed quite a bit of Colbert-like sarcasm throughout the article? You people take everything way too seriously...

[scifiend]

No I noticed it too but I thought it was weak. That guy needs a real job, like helping the people in Haiti plant trees or something.

[mathudd]

It sure seems like satire to me. It doesn't make much sense as anything else. Most people who post responses to online articles just reveal their knee-jerk reactions to certain ideas. I wonder if that's what the author was interested in finding out...

[raweb61]

Exactly what I was thinking. But it also rode a little to close to seriousness.

[thedamner]

Lets put quick death to this paranoia everyone has.

What is a black hole? A hugely massive object in space. Something so massive it has collapsed in on itself and that light can no longer escape.

What types of "black holes" are possible with the LHC? Ones the size of SUBATOMIC particles, with so little mass, they have no influence (gravitationally) on anything else around. Please read that last sentence as these "black holes" have no mass, therefore they are not black holes and have no way of gravitationally swallowing the rest of the earth, nor a flea.

Please stop being over reactive.

[douglasheld]

Hi, although we've never seen one smaller than our sun, actually the theoretical minimum size for a black hole is pretty small. This page has an excellent description: http://www.npl.washington.edu/AV/altvw117.html

Doug

[Renegade Knight]

That's a good article, but it's theory. Has anyone actually observed a black hole wink out of existence or does that remain an untested hypothesis. Naturally I'd like that hypothesis tested somewhere where it will never come to haunt the human race.

[glitch83]

I'm really surprised you work at cnet and haven't met a nerd before. Have you ever seen this? http://www.malevole.com/mv/misc/killerquiz/

Very frequently - brilliant people seem "insane" to outsiders but trust me - they are the most sane people out there. You really have nothing to fear - these rumors are so blown out of proportion.

[westof116]

Clever, clever rhetoric -- but utterly devoid of substance. You give but one reason why the Hadron project should be stopped: scientists "don't know what they are doing." About 500 years ago, you would have said Columbus should be stopped before he sails off the edge of the world. Come on, man, the only way any of us has ever learned anything is to experiment. Take that away and we're still living in caves and chewing on roots.

[akamarginal]

Ya, but if these scientists want to fall off the earth I wouldn't really give a crap...it's the fact that they are forcing the rest of the earth to join them risking the journey is what I think is unfair.

[bookbiker]

Chris, hahahahahaha...not much point in saying anything else because you obviously wouldn't understand.

[mattergy]

I guess all that's left is securing the midsize Hadron collision-insurance...your pre-2008 quarks may not be covered under all plans!