digg

Join DiggAbout

The Digg Crew wants to hear your thoughts!
Please take our short survey about Digg and potential feature ideas.

See the original image at blog.wired.com —

Large Hadron Collider: Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios

blog.wired.com — OMG! Have you heard that huge atom smasher in Europe powers up for the first time tomorrow? Of course you have. You've also heard it repeated over and over that the Large Hadron Collider is the biggest, most expensive scientific instrument in history and that it's going to change our fundamental understanding of the universe.

show profanity settings
expand all
  • datagod, on 09/10/2008, -6/+47Best case scenario: spend billions of dollars on a REALLY cool mechano-set
    Worst case scenario: blow up the universe

    Either way it is pretty cool...
    • IglooBurner, on 09/10/2008, -3/+16"blow up the universe" won't happen.
      • datagod, on 09/10/2008, -1/+6How do you know?
      • IglooBurner, on 09/10/2008, -2/+3cuz you can't blow up something that's currently still in the process of "blowing up"
      • nicpedersen, on 09/10/2008, -1/+8he knows because the LHC creates a time-portal and he just jumped back from yesterday to inform us that the universe didn't blow up.
      • SteveMax, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1Because everything that can possibly happen in the LHC happens every day in ouyr atmosphere, when the oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen atomic nuclei are bombarded by cosmic rays. The energy of each cosmic ray collision in the upper atmosphere can be over 1000 times higher than what we'll get at the LHC. Counting the cosmic ray events over the Earth, Moon, Sun, all planets and asteroids, etc over the past 5 billion years, there have been A LOT more collisions than the LHC will have over its lifetime. The Universe is still here; so we can be sure that our collider won't blow up the universe.
      • BeefBaron, on 09/11/2008, -0/+1Because it was activated and nothing happened.
    • glxyjones, on 09/10/2008, -1/+10My guess is that some physicist gets drunk on December 21st of 2012 with his physicist buddies, decides it would be fun to see what happens when you throw a Swiss franc into the LHC traveling near the speed of light, and all hell breaks loose.

      Somehow, the franc causes the LHC to produce 1.21 Gigawatts. We are all thrown back to 1955 only to relive the same 57 years over and over again for all eternity.

      That is until someone realizes Christopher Lloyd is a genius and Back to the Future was created as a warning to all of mankind regarding the LHC (or flux capacitor as it is called in the movie), and the world is saved from an eternal if() statement.

      Or something like that :)
      • indulgence, on 09/10/2008, -1/+4you mean an eternal do...loop
      • SummerNight, on 09/10/2008, -1/+2I would assume it would be a while() or for()


        ;)
      • sc0rpi0n, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2Why coin? I would volunteer to be accelerated to near light speed. The best-case scenario is that I'll be time traveling, but the worst-case scenario is that I'll be merry-going-round in form of separated atoms. Too bad, LHC is equipped with a hadron cannon not a coin or human cannon. If you somehow find a hole to drop a coin, it will be either attracted to the magnet or fallen to the floor, but not propel it around the tunnel.

        ;)
      • glxyjones, on 09/10/2008, -1/+7Yes, I suppose a do-while() loop is more in order...thanks

        do{
        swing
        beatles
        kennedy
        vietnam
        i'm not a crook
        hippies
        hendrix
        bee gees
        rick astley
        back to the future
        bush #1
        internet
        bush #2
        rick rolled
        ***** IT WE'LL DO IT LIVE
        lhc
        } while (jackass drunk physicist lives)
      • sanosuke001, on 09/10/2008, -1/+1createCoolMovies('Back to the Future', 3);
        createLHC('GBP', 4.1);
        drinkBooze('Age', 20, 'Malt', 2, 'Region', 'Scotland');
        *****('Big time');
        GOTO 1955;
      • Kanten, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1Plot of Groundhog Day 2.
    • kanuk20, on 09/10/2008, -1/+3Really, how many times do we have to hear about this "idea" that the LHC is going to destroy the world, when the original concept was thought up by some nutters and perpetuated by the media because the idea of a dooms day brings in numbers. The fact is no rational scientist has ever said there is even a slim chance that this will put humanity in harms way.

      Before you go trying to make an argument, are you a physicist? Because being a biologist (reference to one of the guys who sued CERN and lost.) doesn't qualify you to make judgment on something you have never studied.

      I trust the highly educated team of scientists to break new ground and bring the next greatest discovery, which is what this is all about, not a dooms day device.
    • Specializedone, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldy ...
  • icehazard, on 09/10/2008, -15/+4blowing up the world would not really be that cool
    • bianconeri4ever, on 09/10/2008, -1/+16Why not? Would you be there to judge? :P
    • IglooBurner, on 09/10/2008, -1/+3I wouldn't mind risking my life, or the world to a 1 to 50 million chance of dying for a possibility at an answer to that question.
    • dsmx, on 09/10/2008, -0/+4Since when have big explosions not been cool?
    • KaiUno, on 09/10/2008, -0/+4I wasn't there when the universe got started. I wouldn't mind being there when it ends.
    • jabberwolff, on 09/11/2008, -0/+0It might be cool... if you had a good plate of nachos and a front row seat !

  • mattems, on 09/10/2008, -4/+4This is cool stuff.
  • cmakvaca, on 09/10/2008, -0/+100Best case scenario: opens hole to alternate dimension where work is play and delicious tacos rain from the sky
    • rugabug, on 09/10/2008, -1/+12I think you mean donuts.
    • Sethbacca, on 09/10/2008, -0/+8This made me lol at work :)

    • liljay2k, on 09/10/2008, -1/+3I'd like a taco please.
    • Acglaphotis, on 09/10/2008, -1/+3Or it opens a gateway for the Combine to get here.
      • TVarmy, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1Beats my dead end job. I could use an adventure.
    • glinsvad, on 09/10/2008, -0/+6Have we learned nothing from Half-life people? Get your crowbars ready and hope it doesn't rain head crabs!
    • sanosuke001, on 09/10/2008, -1/+2I'd rather live in a world where all women were naked all the time, never ugly, and did all the work. Oh, and a 4:1 Female to Male ratio would be nice...
    • jabberwolff, on 09/11/2008, -0/+0Pink tacos ?!?!
  • Jimbozu, on 09/10/2008, -9/+41I want to give whoever decided it was a good idea to inform the ignorant masses that there was even a slight chance that the LHC could destroy the world a good kick in the nuts. I'm all for academic honesty and whatnot, but you don't see scientists going around telling people that earth could be destroyed by one of the billions of un-tracked asteroids in our solar system, which has about the same chance of happening.

    There are just some things that yokels from the deep south don't need to know.
    • BXRWXR, on 09/10/2008, -21/+3You can take that stick out of your ass any time you want, Jimbo.
    • Bakdan87, on 09/10/2008, -0/+25To be totally fair, we have a MUCH higher chance of being killed by an asteroid than we do by the LHC destroying the universe. But the LHC does have a much higher cool factor.
    • Smokeydabear, on 09/10/2008, -15/+3I've got news for you douche biggelow: yokels are from all over the ***** world, not just the deep south.
      • AchaIemoipas, on 09/10/2008, -0/+10Yokel (also commonly known as "Hicks") is a derogatory term to refer to the stereotype of unsophisticated country people. In America, is commonly used as a derogatory term for someone from the rural South; the word is almost synonymous with Bumpkin.
      • MarkOfTheDead, on 09/10/2008, -1/+6Sweet grandma's boy insult used out of context.

        And stop being butthurt, everyone laughs at everyone for one reason or another.
    • LocalDocal, on 09/10/2008, -0/+4Jimbo,

      The concept of the LHC possibly destroy the world being passed out is, of course, from the media. Haven't you ever researched astronomy and reading some interview from an astronomer when the journalist mentions what it would be like if the astronomical object in question (black holes, red giants, gamma burst, etc) occurred right next to the Earth? Every time the subject of astronomy is brought up, the media has to place some sort of image in people's head as to how we could be annihilated by whatever is being talked about.

      We could be talking about a randomly discovered giant comet a billion light years away that's heading in the opposite direction of Earth and there's a good chance that, if you are reading about it in an article, it will be mention what would happen if the comet were to hit Earth.
    • CAdoa, on 09/10/2008, -6/+1Why do you care about who told what to the masses? Who gives a *****? Why don't you grab a telescope and start helping humanity track some of these billions of un-tracked asteroids? This is why. Nobody cares. Nobody gives a ***** about asteroids, CERN, or "Jimbozu". That's why were not quitting our jobs, stop getting laid, or driving our big ass "Yokel", 502 cubic inch, pick-ups as we warm the planet one mile at a time. The masses could of taught you something. Yokel is spelled with a capital "Y". When "the one" asteroid is going to get us, then I'll be the first to high five you. Followed by a kick to the nuts because your wasting my final moments of my life by not helping get laid. Eat *****.
    • malhombre, on 09/10/2008, -0/+7Yea, all us dumb Yokels down here in the south that work at places like the Johnson Space Center in TEXAS, Marshall Space Flight Center in ALABAMA, and of course Cape Canaveral in FLORIDA are best left in the dark. What do we know about science? Good call, genius.
      • bipolarruledout, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2Don't pretend that you don't know who these people are. They are everywhere, even in the blue states and "the south" is just a metaphor for this mentality and for good reason.
    • EndouOuto, on 09/10/2008, -2/+3Jimbo, how do you justify your bigotry?
  • nickpick, on 09/10/2008, -2/+22What nonsense! Every child knows that the LHC will be puncturing the Van Allen Belt and thus stargating Satan from Planet Tatoine right into the European Parliament building!
    • MeatyMcBeef, on 09/10/2008, -0/+5Dugg for the blatant misuse of the term "stargate"
    • Sommerlost, on 09/10/2008, -1/+2just awesome...
  • isuisorisuaint, on 09/10/2008, -5/+9nothing like a large hardon collider...
    • baltar2008, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2And here I was thinking swordfights had gone out of fashion in Europe. ZING!
  • BXRWXR, on 09/10/2008, -4/+3I guess it's probably a good omen that they chose to not do this on 9/11.

    Well, if it does happen, I hope it's painless.

    • MeatyMcBeef, on 09/10/2008, -1/+10Actually it's supposed to take an estimated 4 years for the blackhole to destroy earth. Wait isn't 4 years from now 2012? Aren't we all supposed to die on December 21st 2012? They fire up this baby on October 21st 2008...

      Nah coincidence. ^.^
  • Crisender111, on 09/10/2008, -1/+7I warn them, if something happens to me...
    .
    .
    I will start commenting "***** Hadron"
  • Mightbiteyou, on 09/10/2008, -0/+45hope they have allot of crowbars around, this is how Halflife started
    • disappointed, on 09/10/2008, -0/+8Spell checkers have allot to answer for.
    • Mightbiteyou, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3I will keep that in mind next time I decide to write my master's thesis in the comments section of an internet message board.
  • MaxMWood, on 09/10/2008, -1/+5Photos from my trip to CERN:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxwood/sets/72157603 ...
  • m0zzie, on 09/10/2008, -0/+56BE THE FIRST TO KNOW:
    http://www.HasTheLargeHadronColliderDestroyedTheWo ...
  • Farkough, on 09/10/2008, -6/+34FTA: "Basically, the collider is a series of tubes..."

    ZOMG! TEH LHC IS TEH INTERNETS!!!11!1one!
    • clarkd, on 09/10/2008, -1/+10*****! This is going to confuse Ted Stevens. He's going to try to download porn from the thing and inadvertently open a black hole...of sweet, supple flesh.
    • sindex, on 09/10/2008, -1/+6I hope those tubes don't get clogged.
  • chocula78, on 09/10/2008, -1/+4One of the press releases stated that the beams have the equivalent energy of two commuter trains traveling at 90 mph. So when they collide, based on my limited mechanical engineering background understanding of conservation of mass and energy, there is no way in hell they can create a black hole.
    • Louis11, on 09/10/2008, -1/+2Hmm . . . something tells me that they aren't exactly studying the mechanical engineering equivalent of two commuter trains :-P
    • ShadyG, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2Hold on. What is that in football fields and libraries of congress? I'm not familiar with this "commuter train" unit.
      • Scaryclouds, on 09/11/2008, -0/+2And exactly how many Empire State buildings tall in the LHC?
    • furiouslettuce, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2Black holes have to do with energy density, not total energy - you've got the energy of two 90mph commuter trains [I haven't checked that figure, btw] hitting each other with a cross-section of the order of a micron and a time frame on the order of nano seconds.
  • Kallius, on 09/10/2008, -1/+36I woke up this morning and thanks to the stupid LHC, everything was destroyed and replaced with AN EXACT DUPLICATE!
    • ptemple, on 09/10/2008, -1/+7Don't talk such nonsense, everything is as it always was. Hold on, that was weird. That cat just walked past my door twice...

      Phillip.
  • DennisIsAwesome, on 09/10/2008, -1/+4im watching live streaming right now woot!
  • kailash079, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3thank god for the "best case scenarios" i was getting worried we were gonna die for no reason
  • puscifer919, on 09/10/2008, -0/+23Dugg for including the term "series of tubes".
  • RioMo, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2I'm guessing that a door is opened to an alternative dimension and the Sleestack start filing through like ants.

    /Readies his RAID and fly swatter!
  • aksoywilde, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3You know when you get told of a surprise party before the surprise party. It really sucks. Don't be a party-pooper CERN, fire when ready.
  • chirpygimp, on 09/10/2008, -1/+6
    You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell!

  • lopla, on 09/10/2008, -1/+12we're already dead.
    • alphaeno, on 09/10/2008, -0/+9...inside
    • Louis11, on 09/10/2008, -2/+5Where we ever really alive? Of are we simply in a computer program to keep us under control?
    • liljay2k, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3I see dead people?
  • nocam, on 11/10/2008, -0/+6See you on the other side, Ray.
  • nxxm, on 09/10/2008, -1/+4gordon will save us - maybe - possibly.


    http://digg.com/tech_news/guess_what_will_happen_n ...
  • Metasquares, on 09/10/2008, -1/+2They turned it on and we're all still here. Save your signs for next month.
  • Jakeman21co, on 09/10/2008, -3/+22All right lets do this. LLLLLEEERRRRROOOOOOOYYYYYY JJJJJJJEEEEEEEENNNNNKKKKIIIIINNNNSSSS
  • ILoveBoobies, on 09/10/2008, -0/+7My hope is after scanning in all the playboy centerfolds, they are able to create one, errr two Adriana Lima's for each of us.

    That would be scientific progress!! ;)
  • jonshipman, on 09/10/2008, -0/+5Dr. Manhattan?
  • pradvan, on 09/10/2008, -0/+28In case we all die, I just want to say that I don't like you guys.
    • DigitusAnonymus, on 09/10/2008, -0/+14Hey! This is Sergei Volkov from the ISS. I'm gonna be recording the earth nonstop 24/7. If the ***** hits the fan I'll catch it all on video and upload it on youtube for all the survivors to see.

      P.S ***** Earth.

      Cheers. ;)
  • iliketuna, on 09/10/2008, -1/+12Dugg for '... the collider is a series of tubes... '
  • andyb747, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1It's peanut butter higgs boson time !
  • Sputtnik, on 09/10/2008, -1/+2Hum... Maybe it's time to create a LHC section on DIGG
    • TVarmy, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1As soon as a LHC, Michael Phelps, and iPhone story come out, I am so on the front page forever.
  • Proctor, on 09/10/2008, -5/+5http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/8246/largehardo ...
  • Maverick0420, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2It worked so i guess we wont all be crushed by a black hole.
  • beatleman, on 09/10/2008, -0/+7Is it just me, or is it uncanny how much the hall in the picture looks like the one the female terminator chased John Connor and his future wife down near the end of Terminator 3?
    • AndrewMoyer, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3In T3, that was (supposed to be) a particle accelerator. I would imagine that most such halls share many common features.

      - Round-bore tunnel with flat floor (for practical reasons)
      - Utility conduit
      - Lighting
      - Vacuum chamber in the middle
      - Superconducting magnets
      - Gradual curve

      Looks like they did their homework for the movie.
  • ecshome, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3I've never been so scared, and excited at the same time. Wait, what about that time in the bathroom in the airport in Minneapolis?...
  • TheMachine1, on 09/10/2008, -3/+5Yeah LHC did not destroy the Universe but it could still kill God.
  • Jhiaxuz, on 09/10/2008, -1/+10Wait until October. That's when the real show starts.
  • Chimone, on 09/10/2008, -4/+5best case scenario.....a black hole consumes France
  • compgeek, on 09/10/2008, -0/+7Best case scenario: spend billions,find the god particle, world survives call it a day
    Worst case scenario: something goes horribly wrong,everyone at cern dies,science world mourns their loss,no particle accelerator experiments are ever held again thus stagnating humanity's advance in the scientific arena
  • freezerburn666, on 09/10/2008, -0/+5it's eating the google logo... noooooooo
  • EagleRock, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3I laughed when I got to the "series of tubes" part. Stupid Internet humor has corrupted my brain forever. :-)
  • MrSunshine, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2Webcam: http://webcast.cern.ch/index.html

    Anyway, what *useful* information will the Large Hardon Collider provide us? Who cares what happened million of years ago.
    • AndrewMoyer, on 09/10/2008, -0/+0If the LHC proves some of our current theories to be wrong and points us in a new direction, there's no telling what good (or bad) it could bring to our lives.

      It will most likely confirm our theories though, and our day-to-day lives will be impacted minimally.

      YOU may not care what happened 13.73 billion years ago [1], but a lot of us want to know, for instance, why we're here and how all of this happened, if there's more universes out there, what time is, are there more dimensions as predicted by the math, and what matter is and why it has mass; and Jesus and God are not sufficient "answers."

      CERN is largely responsible for a lot of amazing creations that were not designed to be what they became (including several significant aspects of the Internet we're posting on right now.) [2]

      Another example: the microprocessor was not the goal of all of its previous necessary research, it was just an eventual result once we had made the prerequisite discoveries. (Lithography, film, advanced chemistry, metallurgy, mining, calculus, ...)

      [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_universe
      [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet
    • LeadStripes, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1People didn't know what to do with electrons when those were first discovered.
    • TVarmy, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1The LHC will tell us where your dad is.
  • ElDiablo6870, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1Today, the just conducted a few test... no collision. I believe the date you folks should be concerned about is October 21. That is when they will conduct the fist actual collision.
  • AndrewMoyer, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1This morning on NPR, I heard a BBC reporter asking 11 year old children what they think about the LHC. It was hilarious to hear a few of them ask if it's going to end the world, or if it's going to "find the big black hole." It made me think that either their parents are paranoid wackos and their kids were just repeating it, or maybe it's a statement about the mental development of the adults who share the same irrational fears as children.

    Like, "It's going to find the Boogeyman!"

    The most stunning part was when a little girl asked, "Is there a connection between The Big Bang and God?" SHE WAS 11 YEARS OLD!!!

    I'm embarrassed by the vast majority of my countrymen.
    • swab, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1The most stunning part was when a little girl asked, "Is there a connection between The Big Bang and God?" SHE WAS 11 YEARS OLD!!!

      Maybe I misunderstood, but are you saying this is a stupid question for an eleven year old to ask? Seems like a perfectly valid question, no?
  • dweeb73, on 09/10/2008, -0/+3Obligatory Star Wars references based on that photo:

    "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force."

  • sc0rpi0n, on 09/10/2008, -0/+1Ok some random digger bet with me that if the world didn't end today, I would win ten bucks. If the world ended, I would have to surrender everything I have including my sexy girl friend, this sea-sided condo and my private jet. I won! but the guy is nowhere to be found.

    I guess I have to find another digger to bet with. :D
    • Scaryclouds, on 09/11/2008, -0/+1You had me up until "sexy girl friend[sic]." We all know that is *****, diggers don't have girl friends.

      /repeated to death
  • diggB, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2" ... the U.K.'s Astronomer Royal put the odds of destroying the world at 1 in 50 million."

    Now, that might seem like small odds, but we're talking about obliterating the entire ***** world.

    Still, sometimes you gotta say, WTF and go for it.
  • grobinson, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2Whats up with Digg? Here we have another article about the LHC and it's still not one of the top stories on the day. The LHC is the geekiest story of the week! This Election's going to ruin digg.
  • willgonz, on 09/10/2008, -0/+2or it could be a portal into Imaginationland.
  • Fetching more discussions...
    Show 51 - 60 of 60 discussions
  •  

    Login or register to add a comment

    Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.


© Digg Inc. 2008 — Content posted by Digg users is dedicated to the public domain.
DIGG, DIGG IT, DUGG, DIGG THIS, Digg graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and other service names are the trademarks of Digg Inc.