Are the scientists going to kill us all with the Large Hadron Collider?
They are going to start collisions on Oct. 21.
The Large Hadron Collider is expected to tackle some of the deepest questions in science:
Is the foundation of modern physicsright or wrong?
What existed during the very first momentof the universe's existence?Why do some particles have mass while others don't?
What is the nature of dark matter?
Are there extra dimensions of space out there that we haven't yet detected?
Some folks outside the scientific mainstream have asked darker questions as well:
Could the collider create mini-black holes that last long enough and get big enough to turn into a matter-sucking maelstrom?
Could exotic particles known as magnetic monopoles throw atomic nuclei out of whack?
Could quarks recombine into strangeletsthat would turn the whole Earth into one big lump of exotic matter?
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Is it possible that shoddy workmanship has once again saved the planet from an untimely demise? CERN has recently released pics of damage wrought when an electrical fault caused a liquid helium leak a mere nine days after the Large Hadron Collider started smashing atoms in September, wrecking interconnects between the magnets in sectors three and four. According to CERN, the doomsday machine will be out of commission until at least the summer of 2009. So breathe a sigh of relief... and pray that the grey goo or the replicant hordes don't get us in the meantime.
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