A few years ago an alarming story about a physics experiment ran prominently
in another newspaper. A new atom-smasher, it claimed, was threatening to
destroy the Earth.
After terrifying readers with tales of black holes and “strange matter” that
could end our existence in the blink of an eye, the piece gave the game away
in the final paragraph. Scientists, it turned out, rated the chances of this
happening as “infinitesimally small”.
There are few stories you couldn't run with that disclaimer. Elvis might be
alive. John McCain might be planning to replace Sarah Palin with Britney
Spears. Scientists will always tell you that few things are truly
impossible, apart from proving a negative. But many are so improbable that
they can safely be discounted, so much so that we tend to laugh at those who
don't.
The world duly survived that not-so-close brush with oblivion. “Particle
accelerator spells doom”, however, is proving to be a powerful meme, for it
is back and making news as never before.
On Wednesday the CERN laboratory will start up its new Large Hadron Collider
(LHC), which will reveal profound insights into the nature of the Universe.
Yet much of the press seems more interested in the speculations of a few
cranks.
Once again the cry has gone up that the accelerator could create a black hole
that would devour the planet. Legal challenges have sought to halt it, and
these have been more widely reported this week than the project itself.
Yet the claim is utterly ridiculous. It is true that the LHC might generate
black holes, but these would be minuscule and would decay immediately. As
the physicist Michio Kaku has said, the LHC has as much chance of ending the
world as it does of producing fire-breathing dragons.
This isn't a story that's worthy of serious discussion, even as kooky fun. It
might sound harmless, but it feeds stereotypes of crazy and reckless boffins
who know everything about nothing and nothing about everything, and
encourages the contemptible but widespread view that scientists are not to
be trusted. It is of a piece with other media-led panics in which expert
opinion has been ignored, from the MMR vaccine to GM crops. In short, it's
demeaning to science, and insulting to scientists.
The LHC is one of the most exciting experiments of this or any age, yet the
thing most people now know and remember about it is a frivolous half-truth.
That is a pretty depressing indication of the value we place on science.
Mark Henderson is science editor of The Times
@Andy, Basel, Switzerland
Mate, you don't even know the proper abbreviation for the device, your opinion doesn't matter to anyone but yourself. The world will NOT end next spring, supposing we keep it alive until then.
Get your facts right before you post on the internet, or be ready for flames.
Clem, Geraldton, Australia
does it realy matter how the world was made lets leave it alone we to good at killing each other without going into the unknown an damagining the planet does anybody have the right to do this they dident ask me did the ask you ? stop it before its to late.
Duncan, poole, England
Thank you, article writer.
To half the posters:why,precisely, do you feel you have a right to an extremely strong opinion, when you don't know any of the stuff you've got that opinion on? Please learn to understand things yourself, or at least have the humility to trust people who _are_ in the know
Anna, Edinburgh,
In my opinion it is unlikely that the LCH will create a micro black hole, strangelet, or a rupture of the spacetime continuum that will spell the end of the universe. However, scientists used to suggest that the ingestion of radioactive material was good for you, so they do get it wrong sometimes!
Andy, Basel, Switzerland
If this works... it would be (theoretically) possible to create any atom as desired? >_> please don't try to manufacture uranium, the world has enough of that.
Michael, Arlington TX, United States
I think these people are dumb and are trying to get money and publicity. Its impossible.
chris, bronx, united states
In my words these scientists are just trying to scare us. This article was written a week ago and said "next Wednesday will be the end of the world". Nothing has happened yet and god forbid. I am religious and for Christians and Muslims in the Bible or Quran
it says only god can end world.
Nick, New York, U.S.
it'd have been great if they put off the experement until december 21st 2012. people would have been so riled up.
jesse robidas, rochester, USA
I love this quote:
Professor Virdee: "Nature can surprise us... we have to be ready to detect anything it throws at us."
I'm so glad they're so prepared to detect!
Quote from me: "Don't worry, if there's a 4 alarm fire in the building, we'll be able to smell it."
Scott Allen, Etobicoke, Canada
...then a wormhole swallows earth and transports us to a world of dancing bunnys, which annoy us so we roast them on spits. Also, if the world ends in 2012, why arent we making preparations? like taking chemicals and plants etc and blasting off to space and find a near-sustainable planet that we fix
Yarr, London,
Even if the LHC could produce a micro black hole, we're talking about one that's only a few subatomic particles in size. It wouldn't have the strength needed to pull in any of its surroundings. And black holes that can't pull in anything can't add to their mass, and therefore can't grow.
Tom, St. Louis, MO,
A black hole is not black, and it is not a hole. Simply put, a black hole results from the collapse of a dying star. The star becomes smaller, but retains its mass, and becomes dense beyond imagination. Mass and energy are equivelant (E=MC2) so as the density increases, so does its gravity.
Elliot, Green Bay, USA
As I was saying, the gravitational pull becomes so great that nothing can escape it, not even light. So "Black Hole" is an observational term: a black hole in space. Its not a hole though, and not a portal to another world. Stop watching Star Trek.
Elliot, Green Bay, USA
you guys are thinking about this too much. in the end we wont know whats going to happen. mankind is destroying itself either way. And this black hole assumption is still an asumption. and beside isnt a black hole pretty much just another dimension. i think this is really exciting. science frontier.
isaac , moxee, WA
About the paragraph where it talks about nature doing this already, & we're still here, um yea..thats nature and its supposed to do what it does, however, when man tries to recreate what nature does, it always goes wrong. Why not just let nature keep doing this & find a cure for Cancer and AIDS.
K.Greene, Irving, U.S.A.
During ww2 they tested the atomic bomb in the US. There was a concern of a possible risk that the bomb would ignite the earths atmosphere. Scientist should do this experiment on some remote planet in the future or in space not on earth. It's not rocket science, Why risk the earth.
Sophia, Jefferson, United States
why do this when there are millions of people could die. since the day i heard that i could die so not because of a disease but a black hole or the earth blowing up make me think that was stupid. please stop this and don't remake the big bang.
teresa, manhanttan beach,
Get your heads out of your bibles and do some research before commenting... geez... just when I think mankind is advancing I read about people freaking out because the world is going to end... Yes your world will end. Everything you are used to will end. It's called progress. Get used to it!
Tim Williams, Newark, Delaware, USA
why can't we just be happy with what we know WITHOUT the risk of destroying the world? even if it's a tiny chance, it is of massive consequence that it's even POSSIBLE. I don't care if its probable, I care if its POSSIBLE. even a miniscule chance that it could create the black hole. Curiosity kills.
Matt, Buffalo, USA
wow! come on people do we really want to risk our lives to find out about the big bang, im only 13 and id like to live the rest of my life and not die in a few days because some idiots decided to kills us, someone please do something about this!!!
Bobby, Waynesville, United States
It no longer matter what anyone says, by the time this is posted it will already have been done. I for one find it rather amusing, that several thousand scientists, need a collider with a 17 mile diameter, to find out, What I know, doing one of my general Astral excursions. ;)
Christopher, New York City, NY, USA
Well I would rather die by robots then a black hole so, test it after robots take over the Earth.
Tommy Brooke, Grand Forks, United States
Look at the bright side if a black hole does come out. We will be able to ride a black hole to another dimension where aliens live and live happily ever after. The End.
Johnny, Houston, USA
This is stupid. We're arguing over whether or not this experiment should happen. I say let them do it. Mankind has had the ability to destroy the world since we perfected Atomic bombs. We're supposedly destroying it through polution and global warming. If this goes wrong, it'll just be done sooner.
Jami, Johnson City,
What a coincidence! Four years from now is 2012 which is year that the Mayans predicted will be the end of the world. Personally, I believe in the Mayans more than this "doomsday" device. I think thereis only so much humans should know in his world
Jacob, Dublin, Ireland
I really think the scientists are playing God, which no one should do or there will be major consiquenses. We should just let nature run how it always does!!!
Ashley, Houston, United States
Here's a bright idea! Do this on the moon!
Jacob, Dublin, Ireland
I think alot of you really need to understand what a blackhole is more. Blackholes are extreme points of gravity, for a black hole to grow or susbstain itself it needs MASSIVE ENERGY AND MATTER! Most of the ones people think of a created by a dying Super Giant star, not a few protons colliding.
Dustin, Ames, IA, USA
I'm only 11 and I REALLY don't want to die. I'm praying to the Lord that i go to heaven. How can scientists put everyone's life at steak, just so the can find out about a bang. Life doesn't revolve around them you know!!!! I've barley lived for a decade!!!! Everyone better live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ashley, Houston, United States
I wonder if they think that... maybe not EVERYONE wants to take chances of such a calamity, when the experiment could possibly be for naught.
Only 2 things could possibly result of this, we rejoice, or we regret.
Zack, Atlanta, United States
I don't want to pretend to know more about any of this than I do. That being said: I wonder about those claims that because nature creates these things all the time it means we're OK. This isn't natural! Doesn't that mean something at all?
Kristy, New York,
why are we agreeing if this could end the world?
robert, manhattan, united states
i dont see why spending billions to see some fancy lights is worth it. just get a flashlight.
dave, buffalo, United States
Oh And Also I Dnt Ever Remember Saying Tht i Didnt Mind Risking My Life For Science (a Subject i H8) ... So Why Does Europe Apparently Agree For This Experiment To Go On? When Half The People (Or More) Are Scared Of The Results?
Kat Cotta, Gillingham,
No matter What all say..... today or day after tomorrow you have to die ... so what if they take chance to solve one more mystry!!!
Wish all the best
Dinoo, Vadodara, India
The thought that the LHC would create a black hole that would eat the earth from the inside out is plausible. The thought that this could occur is scary, but as the scientists explained the "black hole" would not have enough energy to sustain itself or grow.
Jordan Vela, Cotulla, U.S.A.
A 13 year project costing 10.4 billion dollars? taking the brain power of 6,000 scientists? from all over the world? hmmm... I wonder what they could have cured or solved with all that money and knowledge?
Hey egg heads! come out of your bubble. The real world needs help.
Scott, Toronto, Canada
Actually I think the gray goo was suposed to be the end via nano robots that run amuck and turn the planet into gray goo, but I could be wrong. That the trouble with paranoid theories...so many to keep track of. The team at the LHC should be very proud of their work Kudos to Geneva!
James, Ohio, USA
Scientists 'never' make assumptions? What do you think a 'THEORY' is, anyway?
If the experiment does go bad, and this device creates these mini black holes that end up destroying the planet, my great consolation on the 'end of the world' is that FRANCE WILL GO FIRST!!!
Matt, Los Angeles, USA
Scientists never make assumptions? The entire point in the project is to find answers to theories. No one can accurately describe what will happen as a result, but everyone including the scientist are going to have theories and thats why this is being tested. To turn it from theory to fact.
Michael Robinson, Memphis, United States of America
There are many things to consider, as i saw somwhere Christopher Columbus did not expect to find america, he ran into it, and the same could be though of from this experiment. The religious part of me dissagrees, scientists are just trying to prove another way god did not make the universe
Slaughter, Houston, USA
I believe the project should go on. If it does destroy the Earth nobody will know, if it doesn't imagine what our children will benefit from this. I remember when we stopped using certain things because it was killing the Ozone, now Global Warming. Temps were alot crazier 70-80 years ago.
David, Athens, USA
the difference between you (doom sayer) and them (scientists) is that you are making assumptions. Scientists never make assumptions
gray goo? you'd have to engineer it
black holes? not the same as out there. these only produce hawkin radiation
stupid americans, too busy working to google an answer!
Jezelle, Rennes, France
Im scared!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
Nice knowing ya!!!
Lauren, costa del sol, spain
as the rumours r spreading that the exmeriment could create unwelcome discoveries like small black holes,i think it is possible.............but i really dint understand the concept behind it.....really complicated
latika, delhi, india
First of all, man must remember that God (Nature) is all powerful. The subject matter is beyond human imagination. The level of impact & calamity the experiment would cause cannot be exactly measured. When we are not totally aware of the outcome, we must not take chances.
Arjun, Trichy, India
You all talk about the end of the world.....an end is only a beginning of something new. We live in mysterious times, with lots of propecies surrounding the end of the world. Seemingly culminating around the next 4 years (to name but one example the Mayan prophecies).
cheryl, Halifax, United Kingdom
Dont worry people. This is a big mistake but not because the world will end. It will not end tomorrow I assure you. I am a Christian and am not afraid that world will end. I do however think it is another attempt to build the tower of Babel. If you know scripture it means an attempt to get to God.
Jesse, Wisconsin, usa
Might as well get neck deep in doomsday prophecies . . . Ever heard of the Mayan calendar and its end in the year 2012? Otto Rössler's comments in the above article describing a four year period of earth decay fit nicely. 2008 plus four years equals 2012. Spooky!
Justin, Denver, USA
hmmmm,
10 trill. LHCs? Fine, but area around those are unliveable, aren't they?
Blk holes are supposed to draw energy by matter falling into them, or is Dr. Stephen Hawkins wrong?
If they find 10 dimensions, bye-bye 'nano' tech, welcome 'dimo' tech
Incase we all melt, nice knowing all of you
LOL
km prasad, Madras, IN
we actually cant comment on this because this is the experiment to know how universe is created at a very large scale. It could hamper entire life on earth or it could reveal some undiscovered facts of universe....who knows whats gonna happen so chill guys.After all there is a super power called GOD
Sunny, New Delhi, INDIA
this should NOT be done.it is not right that they should do this becuase there is no telling what well happen.it should not ever be done becuase no one wants to DIE in a black hole that well suck us up then thats it for us all.wich means no more humens no more anything.
Brad Whitlock, chaffee, usa
I doubt scientists have that capacity to simulate a BIG BANG. I'm interested in it as i didnt had the oppurtunity to see the Original BIG BANG but atleast had the opp to see the (simulated) BIG BANG.
Vikram Patil, Toronto, Canada
Its too much for most to handle. Why do they put us in danger?it was there chouse to die makeing sientific discoverys. When i say this i mean they said that they will die for science. But, to be honest i dont want to die for scince. Life is too short and this world is beautiful and too much to lose.
Jones,Maria, Wasilla,AK, United States
I cant pretend I understand all this but all i know is a few smart people have the idea that this will work.. and another group of people think that it won't.
I dont beleive that it is fair to put the planet and all its life at risk just for an experiment. no matter how small the chance!
Mark, Poole, England
It is better to die rather living on a planet about which we don't know
Saurav Kumar, BOKARO, INDIA
Everyday the odds are higher of dying than what the LHC could produce, If you disagree to this you are basically saying that you will never go outside again or walk down stairs as the odds are alot higher that you will die from one of these than what these scientists will do, why live in fear...?
Dustin, Adelaide, Australia
to be honest if it does blow up the earth or wjhatever we're not going to know cos everything'd be over in a split second.but there's more chance of it not actually workin at all and nothing will happen.it's gonna be fine!
Rosy, Birmingham, England
See, there is nothing to fear. People fall into the trap of believing everything they hear and do no research for themselves. The Radio Broadcast of War of the Worlds springs to mind here. its ridiculous. people should have more faith in science, after all they go us where we are today.
Tom HIggs, Wakefield, England
i reckon it should not be allowed, as they dont really know what they are doing anything could go wrong, but its a load of junk, the world is goin end, yeah w,e.
Ash, Stoke , England
They say that there is a five million to one chance that the world will end, but i still dont agree that that chance should be aloud to be taken. If you had a gun to your head with only one bullet it in would you pull the trigger? This should not be aloud to happen it will cause serious damage.
stephanie mackinaly, Falkirk, Scotland
I find it funny how all the kids here are basically crying over this.
If this experiement is sucessful, we have alot to gain, and the chances of it being sucessful are far greater than it failing.
How many times have people said "The world is going to end".
Definatly looking foward to this.
Adam, England,
the consensus of the scientific community agree that blackholes will not be created.."less than one percent chance" to quote stephen hawking himself. also the consensus of the scientific community agree that should they be created they will evaporate instantaneously .. no need to worry
Tom, Dublin, Ireland
Congrats guys on acheving your target!!!! hurray.
Why doesn't a man understand that he will live only for a max of 100yrs..
Why a man is wasting th energy & money just to know what was created in a million years iime.....
The life of a human is too short to experiment for such atheistic dreams.
Mubeen, mumbai, india
Even though it is quite a small percentage, it could still happen, it is still possible that tomorrow, the world will end. I dont think that anyone could seriously tell you that they arent slightly apprehensive. This 'experiment' should not be happening, and i have a really bad feeling about it.
Ellen Seward, Cheltenham, England
I cant believe something like this is allowed to go ahead. There is obviously slight doubts in people minds and a certain outcome is not predictable therefore a group of people should NOT be able to dabble with the safety of all mankind. (bet they are about 70 and not bothered of dying)
Karen, manchester, England
I bet you £100million that it doesn't kill us all.
Jeff, Malice,
From what i gather there is a six to seven percent chance of us all dying, I think this is far too high to let this experiment go ahead. These men and women have the lives of the world on their shoulders. If this goes wrong it will be genocide.I agree with trent. This experiment should not go ahead.
Elizabeth, Poole, England
It is totally irrational to believe that this is going to be safe. We only rely on theories of which are just that; theories. Although experiments have to happen for humanity to progress.. at what price or risk are we going to allow for it?
A real objective mind would not deny what 'could' happen
Trent, East Sussex, UK
If some thing happents than we won't have a second to say sorry also.I think they should not do it.
Gurvinder, Jaipur, India
Hi i am not against any experiment go head and do the experiment and let me if the we lost in black hole what kind of generation will be there after the .... and i know this will not get Success....
Santu, Blr, india
I am against any experiment. The world is overloaded with scientific invention and use of technology. Too much experiments make life of humans easier but the life of the earth shorter. I am scared to see the climax of human invention and downfall of the plane. I want my organic planet back.
Meherunnisa, NY, USA
All the same people are concerned if this planet we have lived on will cease to exist. Nevertheless I doubt anything useful will happen. People were all concerned about YK2 and it didn't happen. I think it's safe to say this will go as planned. Or this could be death star material :D
Thomas Griggs, Cairns, Australia
where is doctor evil in all this? could the hadron possibly be his 'trac-torrrr .. beam"? have the scientists requested 'one.. millionnnn.. dollars...."
and arent scientists the ones that create the drugs that fail after they are pushed through too quickly and cause death and illness??? lol..
g, ft worth, usa
I for one think that this is a good idea. Nothing happened when the other particle accelerator was turned on. Geez people wake up! This will answer question about the big bang and other things the scientists are having trouble answering . I for one am with the scientists, we're go for launch!
Troy, Jacksonville, FL, USA
Dont worry .
If they get it wrong ?
Whos to know .
Gerry, tipton, uk
i think scientists should stop trying to reacreate the big bang because half of us are still children and want to live life you scientists should stop for everyones safety think about the babies that are being born maybe they won't know whats going on but they still exist so stop for everyones sake.
Bethany-Jo, middlesbrough,
oh god..what is all this??i dont want to end of world like this..im still young and didnt get married yet!no no no no...please cancel the damn project for our nature..
afif, taiping, malaysia
Biochemist Otto Rössler has deduced that it would be “quite plausible” to conclude that "black holes will grow exponentially and eat the planet from the inside”
...Yeah that's why he's a biochemist. If 10,000 of the worlds most intelligent scientists are wrong then the world might as well end.
Andy, Wrexham,
They say that if this experiment goes ahead it could cause little holes that over the next four years will get bigger and bigger and it will be the end of the world and four years from now is 2012 and the would is supposed to end 21st December 2012 so maybe this is the start of the world ending
stephanie, colchester, essex
I can understand why some people my think this is a great idea but i personally think its to big a risk to take
stephanie, colchester, essex
OH goody.... does that mean i wont have to pay the insane costs for maintennance for my car at the local dealership???
:)
then again, dont be supprised if the crime rates go up on tuesday night, with everyone betting on there being no wednesday....
simon, norwich,
I don't get why they have to put humanity in jeopardy just to find something out that scientists found out years ago. they have to understand that if we all die they die with us.
Tom Cunningham, Leeds, UK
Im really scared of this, im only 13 and im seriously worried that this may end the world. My geography teacher told me about this and said that we probably will die. Plus if people are dying all over the world like africa why should money go to this and not these countrys in poverty?
Teighan Brown, Rosyth, Scotland
i'm just cofused at WHY they would want to risk BLOWING UP THE EARTH, just so we know how the big bang happened. no-one really cares, it's something we can always save as an unknown mystery, we dont need to put the world in jepoardy for it.
Hannah, Maidstone, England
I'm sure the results will raise more questions than they answer. I'll be interested to see what happens, (it won't be the end of the world), though I do wonder how funding can be raised for something like this.
If a medical project could attract similar backing we could see a cure for cancer.
Paul, Liverpool,
at the end of the day(wednesday)there is a CHANCE it could happen!!!they even said that..so all you nutty students..take note..i hope some one stops it TOMMOROW before they get chance
warren, burnley, england
Scientists doin research?Do they survieve after the lounch?Y scientists want to kill themselves.India got N-deal today.Give us some time to implement it.Y you ppl living in hurry?
Kharvi,Eshwar, Bangalore, India
If we banned science every time some religious zealots said it would destroy the earth we would still be living in caves. Yet history has shown it is much more likely we will destory the earth because of a religious war. Does that mean we should ban religion?
Rick, Helsinki, Finland
does this mean we can cancel the london olympics?
mark, st. neots,
I don't want to do a bunji jump, I don't want to go on an aeroplane. I am happy with my life. Why am I being forced to partake in this experiment of no relevance to me? Its like being kidnapped by drunks for a joy ride. How dare these pro science people threaten this beautiful planet with death!
keith Bentham, Wigan, uk
this is the 2012 Mayian calendar
fred, Sarasota vgffft, USA
Look im 14. I'v been looking at this ever since i heard about it and as long as there is the smallest chance that we could be wiped out because a couple of guys want to know how protons work ( this will probably be put to use in some of weapon, atoms were) then the "experiment should not go ahead.
Darren, Keighley, England
I think that many of the comments here prove one thing absolutely - that our level of science education is woefully inadequate. Odd that people who would be ashamed to be illiterate are quite happy to be wholly ignorant in the sciences.
Ruth , Glasgow, Scotland
First of all, please relax, this media frenzy has no basis in reality. The theories that predict black hole formation also requires that they evaporate.
The "first-run" this Wednesday will only be at 450GeV, the same energy that the Tevatron in the US is running at.
Max energy is 14000 GeV.
Morten Dam Joergensen, Copenhagen, Denmark
I agree with Hollie on this one!! I mean I am only 15 and would like to actually LIVE to do MY GCSE's in a years time! So why now? I think these scientists should put themselves into ordinary people's shoes and stop and think about what they are about to do!! Stop and think before u do it!
danni, essex, england
Why launch this stupid machine to explore outer space if theres a chance we'll all die and you wont get any information back whats the point. Why endanger everyone elses lives to find out information about that other galaxies that wont effect us and arent important to us in any way. You are selfish!
Luisa, London, England
There is no religious response because they do not understand.The big bang makes the existence of god more certain, but how is a problem we will never answer because we will never know what existed before the big bang.We might be the result of some kids chemistry experiment-that went wrong .
ged, manchester,
Further to M.BEds I don't think we would have had the modern world or the LHC if 'word fascists' had been around at the start of the industrial revolution. In those days there was no clear standard of spelling....and you had to actually think about what had been written because of this.
kevin, Lincoln, UK
If this proves there may be other dimensions, who's to say God isn't in one of them?
This is the machine's 1st run - no low energy testing!
Keep your fingers crossed!
Darren Ward, Manchester, UK
Re. the comments about 14 year old's spelling - it is possible to be both gifted and learning disabled. Einstein is thought to have had high functioning autism/Asperger's, Issac Newton, Henry Cavendish, Nicola Tesla etc. Although, having Asperger's doesn't mean you are learning disabled.
M, Beds,
Maybe this is how it works - big bang , expansion , creation of the universe , millions of years , evoloution , intelligent life , scientific experiments , big, human made crunch , big bang ,ad infinitum .
see you thursday ,or next time .
jonathan charles gale, lymington, hants
I am sure that I read in The Times we had built one at Harwell a long time ago and that it is in use and I know I am still here.
Desi, Eastleigh,
How many mistakes are made before the scientists get it right? May we only have one chance to get it right this time?
steve tea, manchester, cheshire
I would like to hear Prof' Stephen Hawkin's views on this one.
jon bate, derby, uk
I don't think they should do it. What is more importent living or recreating the big bang.? I no what i would choose.
I am only 14 and have got a whole life ahead of me im abolutly scared to death of what they are going to be doing. They need to stop and think befor they do this.
Hollie, Sheffield, England
To be honest, I'm not sure what to think. I don't really ask questions to myself about how I think the universe was created because I have faith and that's what I believe about creation. I'm curious nonetheless as to what will happen. Peter, I agree with you about the athiest argument
Susan, Kent, UK
Wow! So much negativity, so many closed minds. Isn't anyone interested, or doesn't anyone care, about all the possibilities and what we (the human race) will find out after this fascinating experiment? Go for it, prove the creationists wrong!
Chas, Hong Kong,
How come this LHC has been going on for the best part of 30 years and only now do we learn about it? And if it doesnt work what happens to all our money? As for the black hole occurence I dont think its too much to worry about due to the fact that in space particles collide like this everyday anyway
Simon, Omagh, Northern Ireland
Why has there been no public response from major religious leaders in the world? Surely this experiment reinforces the Atheistic anticreationism argument.
Nobody has explained what practical benefit this very expensive experiment has for mankind apart f rom satisfying scientists unending curiosity
peter, Worthing,
According to Professor Brian Cox ( BBC 4 the Big Bang Machine'), String Theory is an intriguing but unprovable concept, a mathematical description akin to philosophy or religion. And maybe the Large Hadron Collider the 21st Century's virtual answer to the building of the Babel Tower.
Margaret d'Armenia, Crouch End , England
To prophecy doom is a hidng to nothing. They can only be proved wrong. We will never know if they are right, so what's the point?
Charles Bockett-Pugh, Sandhurst,
Let's be honest, it will probably break down and they won't even get halway there. Worst case scenario there's a big explosion and the alps will turn into caves but I don't ski so I don't care.
Just in case though I'll pray in every religion on wednesday night to hedge my bets! :)
Alex K, Manchester, UK
I'm amazed of the arrogance of so many people on this whole issue and many others like it. In this case it's the "How do the scientists KNOW it can't kill us?" club. These people have no clue of physics except what they hear on the sci-fi channel! No knowledgeable voice has voiced any risk!
Nova, Farnham, United Kingdom
The press are terrible at science. Half of press articles refer to obscure Classical texts or quote Shakespeare in a bid to sound clever, but the moment it's a scientific article, do I see any data anywhere? Any mean or variance? No! Without such information, the article is practically meaningless!
Natalie, Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom
Firstly, being a university physics student I know several people with poor spelling but who are brilliant physicists!
As for the LHC, I'm not sure - I don't have the years of research experience the experts have so I can't possibly give a justified comment... but scientists ARE wrong sometimes.
Charlotte, London,
Well,We must to respect the dark side of the force,let Dart Vader's black star project free run....
Agustin Garcia, Chihuahua, Mexico
Hey Ben in Sydney, you keep on researching, stick in and I hope in years to come you will not only post comments, but articles based on your findings re. this subject...well done on your post...don't be put off by mealy-mouthed shrivelled- minded persons who haven't even commented on the subject.
Peter, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
Maybe the posters on this blog who DO understand the physics/statistical relevance of the various possible outcomes/effects of the LHC should not just insult and talk down to those who don't understand/agree but instead engage and educate them. You might even learn a thing or two yourself.
Dr. Dave, Picayune, U. S. A.
All those billions of stars out there and we have not meant any alient lifeforms, maybe every civilisation snuffs itself out with a blackhole before becoming truly space faring.
I think I know what killed off the dinosaurs!
Kris, london,
Andrew, 0.5% would be a massive story! The thing is that we are talking a chance far far less than several orders of magnitude less than that.
That scientist wasn't talking in hyperbole when he suggested the LHC had the same chance of creating a fire-breathing dragon.
Daniel, Newcastle,
Don't Worry....
Where there's blame....There's a claim!!
G Wight, Elgin, Moray
Even if there is a 0.5%chance of starting an uncontrollable black hole this is far too great a risk to be taking!
Andrew, Surbiton,
But what about a terrorist attack !!!
Lee, Windsor, UK
And what worries ME is that grown men and women seem to think it's okay to gang up on a fourteen year old who is at least showing an interest in current affairs. More than I can say for a lot of fourteen year olds I know.
But this is all beside the point: all hype, world not going to end, etc, etc.
Liz, Norwich,
Scientists have identified dark matter, strange matter and the like (30% of matter, I'm told). Therefore "Natural LHC's" probably do manage to make something...
If strangelets theoretically exist, how long before scientists try to prove it? I hope they aren't trying to prove it here on earth.
Russ, brentwood, UK
It's a fast death with the possibility of great benefits to mankind with Science
OR
A slow death with no benefits to mankind with Religion.
Take your pick.
Kazuki, Tokyo, Japan
@Colin Burns,
Recreate the Big Bang with impunity? It would take all the mass-energy (including the dark variety) in the entire universe to do that. Get a grip.
jim, Santa Fe,
Scientists just dont know when to stop do they? Forget about hugh lumps of rock hitting the earth, its the human race destroying ourselves that we have to worry about! even if it doesn't create a gaping black whole this time, they won't be happy until they do create something that destroys us!
Jay, Leicester,
What worries me most is that a 14 year old - presumably one of the next generation of scientists - can write two and a half lines on the subject and make six spelling mistakes, to say nothing of a total lack of grammatical construction. Now that's REALLY scary...
Mark Coleman, Stockton on Tees, UK
>> Scientists find truth - real, objective truth .... That is what people are scared of. <<
Not me! I'm much more scared of dying without finding out why we are here and how we got here, and if this experiment helps to shed light on the reasons, I say bring it on!
Bel, London,
I would laugh if they forgot to put an " off " button on the machine.
Will, Grimsby,
Thank you, Ben, I am mighty relieved to have your assurance on this. But shouldn't you learn to write and spell before embarking on such a complicated piece of reshurch?
Dick Pyle, Barran, France
A likely story.
John Polenski, Tokyo,
>if there's even a 1 in 50 million chance that a black hole could form, then thats just over three times as unlikely as winning the lottery, and that happens doesn't it?<
Spot the fallacy! The probability of *someone* winning the lottery is close to 1.
Allen, London,
Wow. So we could have fire breathing dragons wandering around Switzerland after Wednesday! Hope they like chocolate...
Rick, Surrey,
My worry is that there are only a tiny handful of people who (claim to) understand what is going on in the LHC. A degree of scepticism about the assurances they provide is surely justified. Any risk of oblivion, however miniscule, cannot be justified in the name of scientific progress.
Jamie, Gibraltar ,
Hey Mike, just wait till anthropomorphic global warming comes along like increased farming yields, insect resistant crops and reduced deaths from scientific measures to control flooding and then we'll see what happens to random commentators credibility.
Ben, Brisbane,
Colin. Which other foolhardy risks would you rather mankind had not taken? Vaccination? Water purification? Education? Electrical engineering?
Stuart, Chichester, UK
What is frightening is the assumption from laymen that because scientists are open about what they don't know (and seek to find out) that this corresponds to them not knowing what they are talking about.
Kelvin, Gloucester, UK
I agree that the hype is ridiculous. I saw a whole page on this in the Daily Wail yesterday; it would have been front page if they could blame the gov. I have had a running joke with colleagues on the doom story; this piqued their curiosity about particle physics and so they learnt something new.
Salv Reina, London,
I'm just wondering:
What has a US court to say in the EU?
(If I read it correctly)
It's a European experiment, if its "OK'd" in the EU it should be carried out.
If the US isn't happy about it, who cares?
This should be European (!!) science at its best!
Good luck!
D.C.M., Sunderland,
I'm not an expert at science being an A level chemistry student, but if there's even a 1 in 50 million chance that a black hole could form, then thats just over three times as unlikely as winning the lottery, and that happens doesn't it? And this is based on THEORY! If it doesnt work, then what??
cassandra, Northampton,
I would expect a 14 year old to learn to spell before doing any 'resurching'
Chris, Camberley, UK
What the report doesn't say is that there is a lot we don't know about earth and the protection it provides us. We know we have an ozone layer and a magnetic field that protects us from the sun's radiation. How do they know there is no similar protection against cosmic rays???
To many unknowns.
David, quebec, Canada
The thing that always amazes me with such articles is that they fail to mention cosmic rays - these rays are constantly bombarding the Earth - and as such, you - with energies much higher than anything which will be created in LHC. Typical scaremongering of scientifically illiterate.
Neil, Exeter,
request to the Times online. Can you please leave this comment board up until AFTER wednesday so we can laugh at the doomsdayers and start discussing the actual topic : the higgs boson.
go to wiki and look up large hadron collider.
Steve, Dresden ,
There have always been well read people with a detached slightly cynical view The atom smashing maniac not always a geek but people who should know better is a new phenomenon, not content with a letter to the press, but iconoclastic bombast and physical mayhem on the slightest pretext. Re bearskins
ged, manchester,
Only someone from Australia would speak of global warming as if it a lie which totallly reinforces the point I was going to make. Journalists do not understand science but they know how to sell papers hence the reason why they give AGW deniers a lot of airspace, its maverick time.
Pete Best, Northampton, UK
The world has a history of Atom smashers, the LEP was the previous one at CERN and it was not that less powerful as it was contained in the same ring. Its advances in electro magnetics that is allowing to new one to be more powerful. All hail the Higgs Boson.
Pete Best, Northampton, UK
How can anyone know for sure the outcome of this experiment and that it is safe? If there is a chance of something threatening our existence however ''infinitesimally small” that threat may be, why should we take the risk? Scientist can & do make mistakes what if they have got it wrong this time?
Jane Lawrence, TELFORD, UK
Funny how those - like Mike Wilkes in Brisbane - who question the 'credibility' of scientists, are nevertheless more than happy to use the fruits of scientific progress every single day of their lives - telephones, cars, modern medicine, even the computers on which they espouse their garbage.
ben, london, UK
Haha!! If you think science and scientists aren't valued, just try being an engineer!
Martin, Newmarket, Suffolk
Anybody who truly understands what is happening will agree that these fears are completely ludicrous
Rick, Didcot, UK
Scientists find truth - real, objective truth - much more powerful and destructive to many people than an Earth-eating black hole. That is what people are scared of.
They might pretend that they like him now, but they've never really forgiven Galileo you know.
Steve, Altrincham,
i am a 14yeared old student reshurching this topic and think it is a possibiltily it could go wring but we are in safe hands of experinced men and wimen so dont worry!
ben flimsion, sydney, austraila
Just wait until anthropomorphic global warming goes the way of Mathusian famine, nuclear winter, acid rain and the Y2K bug and then see what happens to scientists' credibility.
Mike Wilkes, Brisbane, Queensland
Re last post. But you have helped the debate move on. The characters limit is frustrating, symptomatic of today's soundbite society. Let's have a proper debate. If there is a body of opinion in the world that feels the risks are too great, science has a responsibility to guarantee Earth's survival.
Colin Burns, Ayr, South Ayrshire
As a scientist friend tried to explain, *if* the science that says it could create minute short-lived black holes is right, then they're also going to be being created practically all the time by cosmic rays hitting the upper atmosphere - and none of *those* have eaten the earth yet...
Rachel, Bristol,
I completely agree with this report but I believe it's human nature to take an interest in and believe in scare stories because we want to feel safe. Consequently those store sell papers and are the reason why they get all the attention.
Ian, Leamington Spa, United Kingdom
Re last two posts. There is only one person on Earth who claims to be infallible and I am sure he does not agree with the foolhardy risks being taken with the planet and mankind. If we still build cars that break down, why do certain scientists think we can recreate the Big Bang with impunity? Ego?
Colin Burns, Ayr, South Ayrshire