| Author | Message |
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The Lunacy Phringe
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 1288 | September 3rd, 2008 at 01:18pm
Mods, I'm positive this should be here. 
Ok, some of you may not know, but a company called ATLAS is trying to recreate The Big Bang, but, they're are chances of the experimint going wrong and a black hole being created which would destroy our planet and maybe the solour system.
Whats your opinion?
Should they be allowed do it even if there's just a tiny risk? |
Squirrel12
Fabulous Killjoy
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Posts: 137 | September 3rd, 2008 at 01:24pm i heard about this....
in my opinion i dont think they should be allowed to do it, if theres a risk that is endangering the whole planet... |
sir_pleb
Jazz Hands
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 303 | September 3rd, 2008 at 07:35pm They're not trying to recreate the big bang. What the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) at CERN recreates is the reaction made by cosmic rays hitting the earth's atmosphere, which are much more powerful than the LHC. Particle colliders like this have been in use for some time, the only difference is that this is the biggest. This has passed through an independant safety commitee in 2003.
Not to sound cold or anything, but if they did destroy the world in one sitting that would be quite impressive.
Here is a paper about why it is safe.
This is a very technical paper about the new materials and technologies that may have other uses outside the collider.
Is there anybody that can provide links to papers which actually suggest it's not safe? Most of what I've seen is speculation as opposed to actual application of physics.
More than anything I'm excited about the possibility of finding the Higgs boson particle. It's known as the 'God' particle, proving it's existence would be a huge step in explaining the universe. |
Cigarettes And Suicide
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 1725 | September 3rd, 2008 at 10:55pm Call me gullible... I'm just not that keen on the idea.
Why do something that MAY (and I have noooo idea what I'm on about, I'm sure it's safe, but apparently there's that tiny chance...) effectively destroy the planet? Aren't we meant to be saving it? What is this going to achieve, other than win some geek a Nobel Prize?
And I cringe at the thought of how expensive this research is. Again, what the heck is it meant to accomplish other than to say, 'Oh. I thought so, I just wasn't sure!' It's costing a lot of money, money that I feel should actually be spent on something USEFUL - perhaps housing and feeding people who live below the poverty line. Put the money into cancer research so we can find a cure. Stop funding crap like NASA (how many trips do we need to take into space to establish that yes, there are stars/planets/no gravity out there?).
Honestly. I don't get WHY. |
blow
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 1137 | September 3rd, 2008 at 11:32pm ^And what if by funding NASA a compound is found on another planet that cures cancer? (that's not at all realistic, but it could happen) |
loki.
Bulletproof Heart
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 27342 | September 3rd, 2008 at 11:34pm Cigarettes And Suicide:Honestly. I don't get WHY. I agree with you completely.
Why go out into space and risk EVERYONE'S lives on something that may or not be true,
when we have a trillion and one problems that need fixing here on Earth?
It's not worth it. If they're wrong..well then we're all screwed. |
Cigarettes And Suicide
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: 37
Gender: Female
Posts: 1725 | September 3rd, 2008 at 11:43pm Eponine:^And what if by funding NASA a compound is found on another planet that cures cancer? (that's not at all realistic, but it could happen)
But they're not looking for a cure for cancer out there. They're looking to see whether we can all ship over to Mars if we destroy this planet beyond repair.
Like I said, why not spend some money on fixing the problems at home before we spend money looking for a new one? |
blow
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 1137 | September 4th, 2008 at 12:04am It wouldn't be impossible for them to even try to look because we know so little about what's out there.
I guess I just don't see how someone wouldn't be excited about discovering the possibility of life on other planets or just anything in outer space, but then again I'm a huge science geek.
NASA really doesn't get that much funding now anyway, Bush isn't a big fan of them. And before you cut their money even more there are tons of other wasteful government programs that could be gotten rid of.
Maybe that shouldn't be our first priority, but once we've dug ourselves out of the pit that we've been in, I don't see why not. |
sir_pleb
Jazz Hands
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 303 | September 4th, 2008 at 07:38am It's the tiniest chance of destroying the earth. The paper I linked to before explains that if it were possible that this could cause a blackhole of any notable size, we would have seen it happen with superdense stars, which have the same reactions happening to them, and are much more prone to collapsing into black holes than planets. The only chance is that it may create a mini black hole that is literally microscopic, these would be unseeable from cosmic rays hitting the earth and would travel through the earth at the speed of light, so unable to do any damage.
A black hole of this size would evaporate in 10^-26 seconds, due to Hawking Radiation. IF hawking radiation turns out to be false then it's been calculated that a blackhole of that size would take 100 billion years to destroy the earth and by that point the sun would have gone supernova, thus destroying it anyway and the galaxy would probably no longer exist. |
The Lunacy Phringe
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 1288 | September 4th, 2008 at 01:17pm Well, I asked my Chemistry and Physics teacher, and according to them both, IF something goes wrong and a larger black hole is created which they are unable to destroy, then the earth would be destroyed in about 5 years depending on the size.
I'm aware this goes against what Oi Nutter! has been saying, I'm just saying what they said.
I also remember seeing a documentary about this, i think it was called Doomsday Scenario or something... it followed a scientist in different ways the earth could be destroyed, tsunami, disease etc. and a Particle Collider just like the one being used at CERN. The character died each time.
But to get to the Black hole part of it, the second they flipped the switch a blach hole was formed, and it was by no means microscopic!
and it was all based on hard theory.
Finally, on a lighter note, If a black hole of notable size was created, it would be rather funny to see people shooting it with guns or governments nuking it. XD |
Or am I just fat??
Really Not Okay
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 698 | September 4th, 2008 at 05:27pm Seriously, some things shouldn't be messed with and this is one of them. It's funny, every article or video i've seen hasn't had one kind of positive and reassuring comment for this. But then again, the media is controlled.
Apparently if a black hole(s) does/do occur, they will evaporate. I find this an uneasy answer. This is because they have a certain radius where they will asorb surrounding matter and black holes are hardly stable. If it gets large enough, it won't be possible for it to be handled and eventually eat away the earth.
Though, I believe black holes arnt yet fully understood and that we lack knowledge about how powerful and dangerous they can be.
The odds are small and I doubt anything will happen. But if it does, I will be extremely pissed off rofl. |
sir_pleb
Jazz Hands
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 303 | September 4th, 2008 at 06:06pm Gagging Reflex:Well, I asked my Chemistry and Physics teacher, and according to them both, IF something goes wrong and a larger black hole is created which they are unable to destroy, then the earth would be destroyed in about 5 years depending on the size.
I'm aware this goes against what Oi Nutter! has been saying, I'm just saying what they said.
I also remember seeing a documentary about this, i think it was called Doomsday Scenario or something... it followed a scientist in different ways the earth could be destroyed, tsunami, disease etc. and a Particle Collider just like the one being used at CERN. The character died each time.
But to get to the Black hole part of it, the second they flipped the switch a blach hole was formed, and it was by no means microscopic!
and it was all based on hard theory.
Finally, on a lighter note, If a black hole of notable size was created, it would be rather funny to see people shooting it with guns or governments nuking it. XD
The main thing is that is if something goes wrong. In theory and in practice it doesn't happen. This type of collision happens all the time when cosmic rays hit the earth's atmosphere, at a much higher velocity and that has never created a blackhole of visible size.
Did this documentary show the theory? The overwhelming majority of physicists think that either it's safe and will do what it's supposed to, or else that it's safe because it's not going to do anything at all.
Also, just being a pedant, a tsunami or disease won't destroy the earth.
Hannah Quinn: It's funny, every article or video i've seen hasn't had one kind of positive and reassuring comment for this.
I think that's because it's more exciting to say 'this things gonna kill us all' than 'this has a chance of finding something so small that it exists for pretty much no time at all.'
You can find scientific papers detailing the theory behind it and why it should be safe, the problem is that they're scientific papers and those most likely to read them are scientists. |
Or am I just fat??
Really Not Okay
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 698 | September 5th, 2008 at 12:32pm Ignore. |
The Lunacy Phringe
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 1288 | September 5th, 2008 at 02:34pm Oi Nutter!: Also, just being a pedant, a tsunami or disease won't destroy the earth.
True, although a disease with no cure and was contagious would severly lessen the population.
Does anyone know the date the LHC is being started? |
sir_pleb
Jazz Hands
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 303 | September 5th, 2008 at 06:32pm There's a test next wednesday, although that's just sending a beam of protons through without any collisions. The official unveiling is on the 21st of october, I assume that they will be making the first collisions on that date. |
fabulous killjoy.
Moderator
Age: 31
Gender: Female
Posts: 46256 | September 5th, 2008 at 10:09pm Cigarettes And Suicide:(how many trips do we need to take into space to establish that yes, there are stars/planets/no gravity out there?). I know this really has nothing to do with the topic, but trips into space are much more than showing that there are stars and planets and such. It's much more. It's human curiosity with knowing what's out there, and human technology trying to find us a place to stay if the Earth does indeed overpopulate itself. Space is much much more than planets and no gravity, it's very ignorant to think such.
As for the whole thing in itself, I say that it's being blown out of proportion. Face it, everyone gets more excited over impending death than something scientific. That's why all you hear is impending doom and gloom. Remember when the world was supposed to end once it hit 12 on New Year's of 2000? Yeah... didn't really happen. It's all just silly speculation. I think if they were unsure of it's security, they wouldn't be doing anything at all. |
Firegarder
Joining The Black Parade
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 233 | September 6th, 2008 at 09:04am I'm really excited about this experiment! I can't wait to hear wat they find, but it could be years before there are any definate results. 
It's science for the sake of science, and the first time in a looong time that an experiment has been done jsut for the sake of finding random things out without really creating anything that could benefit us other than providing us with knowledge. Why wouldn't anyone want to know these things anyway?
It's not going to create a massive black hole and kill us all. The only reason that comes up is that scientists being the way they are, they can't rule anything out, even something that has the teeniest tiniest chance of happening. And I was reading earlier about some other research had been done about these particles hitting our atmosphere and creating little black holes all the time and we haven't been swallowed up yet. I think it's more people not really understanding the work they are doing, then suddenly hearing the words"Black Hole" come up and freaking out.
I think it's amazing how so many countries have come together to work with each other on this. I'm loving how science brings people together.
How has this been funded by the way? I know it's be lost of countries, but is it privately or like form public taxes? Either way I don't mind, I was just wondering. |
Super.Ninja.1
Killjoy
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Posts: 42 | September 10th, 2008 at 10:35pm Well, today was the day that it was supposed to happen. Well, we arn't dead yet! Yippie! |
blow
Bleeding on the Floor
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 1137 | September 10th, 2008 at 10:51pm Didn't they just shoot the beam today? Not actually colliding anything? |
jared leto.
Awake and Unafraid
Age: -
Gender: Female
Posts: 12568 | September 10th, 2008 at 11:08pm Eponine:Didn't they just shoot the beam today? Not actually colliding anything?
According to my science teacher, they did collide it. Or at least I think that is what he said. However, Ive been told that collisions like the one they are trying to create happen every day when cosmic rays hit our atmosphere.
Also, my friend's science teacher told him that if a black hole was created, it would collapse before it could do any damage.
However, that can just be teachers trying to make us teens feel better.
to be honest, the whole experiment frightened me. I stood awake all night last night, crying because I felt like I was going to die today.
comcast.net. had an article on the experiment, and a member at CERN said that the Black Hole theory was complete nonsense |
