Tue 9 Sep 2008
Based on what Mr. W has told me about this experiment, it scares the crap out of me. Apparently some scientist is about to start blasting particles at some nucleus at light speed using a new machine called the Large Hadron Collider, hoping to spin the nucleus and then explode it to see what’s inside a molecular nucleus. The experiment’s hope is to discover and recreate the start of life, i.e. to prove the Big Bang Theory. This experiment is scheduled to start on Wednesday. Meanwhile, three other scientists say that this experiment could produce a black hole that would suck matter into it insatiably until the Earth itself is completely sucked in and/or destroyed, and that once begun, there’s nothing we could do at this point to stop it. These three scientists use their warnings to sue the first scientist, and all three have emergency petitions to the Courts for a preliminary injunction (a preliminary court order to stop the experiment from happening while the case is being decided in Court).
I’m really not cool with the thought of the world ending, or of my dying, in the next couple of days. I imagined being with my family, clinging to each other and crying. Or frantically trying to call loved ones on the phone and not being able to get through as everyone is calling everyone else, too, getting the “all circuits are busy” recorded message. Or cringing with my eyes squeezed shut on our bed, Mr. W holding me, as the edges of my reality start dissipating alarmingly, my whimpering about to be cut short by the molecular breakdown of my vocal chords. Or, as this last scenario is happening, Mr. W holding a gun to my head, asking me if I’m sure I want to be euthanized in this most violent but quickest of ways instead of finding out what happens on the other side of a black hole. Or of my floating gravity-lessly in black space, unable to breathe, panicking internally as the vacuum I’m floating in explode the blood out from the thin membranes of my eyes.
Then the rushing thoughts and stages: Who the hell gets to say how the world ends? Who the hell gets to trade in the lives of billions, of this entire planet, to satisfy his curiosity? Why don’t the billions of us get a say? Am I so helpless? Should I prepare for death? At least I got to experience love, marriage, and I’m glad I didn’t bring a child into this world to be taken out this way. And what about all the people with plans for the weekend? For Thursday? For their next birthdays? For their children? I remember that in AP English IV my senior year, we studied a poem that I only remember the ending of (cuz I was a bad student and didn’t pay attention), which is
“…this is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends,
Not with a bang, but a whimper.”
And then I read this just now. And feel a little bit better. Just a little bit.
One dark comedienne’s take.
THIS still scares me, reading between the humor.
I was planning to go to bed early tonight but now I’m thinking I’ll go spend some time gazing up at the hubby with big watery eyes instead. While hugging my struggling cat.
I think the good news is that we all won’t feel a thing:-) I imagine it will happen really quickly and none of us will have to think about what just happened…
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10036245-76.html
oh, and i remember in AP physics, my teacher told us that when we get close to a black hole, the tidal forces (the difference of forces from the two tips of our bodies) would rip us apart. so i don’t know if it would be painless. 🙁
oh, and one more cool thing. assuming you survive those tidal forces, according to the theory of relativity, time slows down as you approach a black hole, so you see things speed up as you get closer and closer, so you see eventually see the end of the universe when you touch the black hole. (i had an awesome physics teacher.)
i sent you a CNN article also. i think the scale of involvement is quite large and multi-national.
Well apparently they’re still in a test phase for most of this week. We’ll find out if there’s a black hole sometime next week. Some might say we might see parallel universe from this. Star Trek anyone?
You guys don’t seem very concerned. I don’t know whether to be comforted or disconcerted by that.
But re Dardy’s 2nd comment…WAAAAAHHHHH!!!
I read about all this online last night. It doesn’t bother me too much. If there were no science experiments we might not have many convieniences we have today. What if this created the ability to reverse gravity or time travel? I think we’ll be ok…(think being the key word!!) lol
Yeah, I thought about that, too. How if people let being scared of the unknown limit their experiences, we never would’ve found penicillin, discovered the world is round, or enjoyed the yumminess of lobster. But I was kinda hoping that the world coming to a sudden end wouldn’t happen in my lifetime.
http://www.cracked.com/article_16592_10-important-news-stories-as-depicted-by-5-year-olds.html
See the final drawing at the bottom… OUCH!!! They sure went through a lot of work for this expirement!
Yowza. I didn’t think nerdy scientists were capable of such large, uh, hadrons.