catfishhunter 2 #1 September 8, 2008 Meet Evans the Atom, who will end the world on Wednesday By Jonathan Petre The man behind the world’s biggest scientific experiment, which critics claim could cause the end of the world, is a Welsh miner’s son who has admitted blowing things up as a child. Dr Lyn Evans, who has been dubbed Evans the Atom, will this week switch on a giant particle accelerator designed to unlock the secrets of the Big Bang. But the 63-year-old physicist revealed yesterday that his passion for science was fuelled by the relatively small bangs he had created with his chemistry set at his council house in Aberdare in the Welsh valleys. Inspired: 'Evans the Atom' at school in Wales in 1962 ‘I was more interested in chemistry than physics when I was young,’ he said. ‘I had a number of chemistry sets. Like everybody, I used to make explosives. I even blew the fuses of the whole house a few times.’ His interest in physics grew at his boys-only grammar school, where lessons had an added attraction because they were attended by girls bussed in from a nearby school that lacked a physics teacher. On Wednesday, Dr Evans will fire up the Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile-long doughnut-shaped tunnel that will smash sub-atomic particles together at nearly the speed of light. Built by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the collider lies beneath the French-Swiss border, near the institution’s headquarters in Geneva, at depths ranging from 170ft to 600ft. The aim of the £4.4billion experiment is to recreate the conditions that existed a fraction of a second after the Big Bang – the birth of the universe – and provide vital clues to the building blocks of life. It will track the spray of particles thrown out by collisions in a search for the elusive Higgs Boson, a theoretical entity that supposedly lends weight, or mass, to the elementary particles. So important is this mysterious substance that it has been called the ‘God Particle’. Scientists also hope to shed some light on the invisible material that exists between particles – dubbed ‘dark matter’ as no one knows what it really is – which makes up most of the universe. Relaxed: Dr Evans - in his shorts at the CERN control centre in Geneva - dismisses the fears of doom-mongers But a handful of scientists believe that the experiment could create a shower of unstable black holes that could ‘eat’ the planet from within, and they are launching last-ditch efforts to halt it in the courts. One of them, Professor Otto Rossler, a retired German chemist, said he feared the experiment may create a devastating quasar – a mass of energy fuelled by black holes – inside the Earth. ‘Nothing will happen for at least four years,’ he said. ‘Then someone will spot a light ray coming out of the Indian Ocean during the night and no one will be able to explain it. ‘A few weeks later, we will see a similar beam of particles coming out of the soil on the other side of the planet. Then we will know there is a little quasar inside the planet.’ Prof Rossler said that as the spinning-top-like quasar devoured the world from within, the two jets emanating from it would grow and catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis would occur at the points they emerged from the Earth.‘The weather will change completely, wiping out life, and very soon the whole planet will be eaten in a magnificent scenario – if you could watch it from the moon. A Biblical Armageddon. Even cloud and fire will form, as it says in the Bible.’ He said that attempts were still being made in the European Court of Human Rights to halt the experiment on the grounds that it violated the right to life. The court has, however, already rejected calls for a temporary delay in the project, and it is unlikely to come to a speedy decision about whether the CERN experiment should be halted for good. Meanwhile Dr Walter Wagner, an American scientist who has been warning about the dangers of particle accelerators for 20 years, is awaiting a ruling on a lawsuit he filed a fortnight ago in his home state of Hawaii. He fears the experiments might unwittingly create something he calls a ‘strangelet’ that could result in a fusion reaction that might ultimately turn the Earth into a supernova, or an exploding star. But Dr Evans, the leader of the project, who has devoted 14 years of his life to building the vast particle accelerator, is dismissive of the doom-mongers. In fact, he is so relaxed about the project, he even wears shorts to work. He said that Prof Rossler was a ‘crazy’ retired professor who had invented his own theory of relativity. ‘We have shown him where his elementary errors are, but of course people like that just will not listen,’ said Dr Evans. Meanwhile, Dr Wagner’s fears were ‘totally and completely’ unfounded. ‘There are thousands of scientists around the world who have been preparing this machine and they know what they are talking about, unlike these guys,’ he added. Dr Evans says his real nightmare is not that he will destroy the world but that, with the cameras rolling, the machine will break down. ‘This is not the first accelerator I have commissioned, but the first under the glare of the whole world,’ he said. ‘My main worry is that we’ve got a huge amount of equipment and it is new. If something trips off, we are down for hours and we have all these Press people sitting around. ‘We are not used to that. We are used to setting things up quietly and announcing it afterwards.’ The Mayan Prophecy of 2012? MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #2 September 8, 2008 Hello Speaker's Corner! "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hausse 0 #3 September 8, 2008 Man that sure would be a cool way for the world to end. Way better then the whole doomsday stuff... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 235 #4 September 8, 2008 If the world is going to end on Wednesday because we destroyed the fabric of time in space then that means that none of us are here right now. Therefore the world is not going to end."I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shropshire 0 #5 September 8, 2008 The world won't end but they may turn it into Swiss cheese (.)Y(.) Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJL 235 #6 September 8, 2008 A lot of this shit doesn't sound original. Wait a minute.... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298814/trailers-screenplay-vi2599420185"I encourage all awesome dangerous behavior." - Jeffro Fincher Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidB 0 #7 September 8, 2008 Funny... I was watching a couple TV shows yesterday evening about space-time, relativity & nuclear science. One scientists described trying to find out the secrets of the atom with a particle accelerator was like, "...trying to figure out how a watch works by smashing two watches together..." & observing what falls out. Can't wait until they fire that baby up! Oh, what secrets it could reveal... When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LuckyMcSwervy 0 #8 September 8, 2008 Well, I'll sure be pissed because I haven't finished all of my AFF levels or gotten my A license yet. I think this dude should wait another few weeks. I have shit to do! Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iluvtofly 0 #9 September 8, 2008 Ditto. At least wait until I go to Cedar Point on the 20th and jump at Bridge Day. If he ruins those plans I'll be extremely upset. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #10 September 8, 2008 Except on Wednesday they are not colliding anything, they are merely sending ONE particle down the line, later they will send another in the opposite direction, and next week is apparently when they will make 2 collide.You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
catfishhunter 2 #11 September 8, 2008 Lucky your ok unless it is going to take you 4 years to complete AFF. The end of the world will be 4 years from now (thats the reference to the Mayan 2012 prophecy) MAKE EVERY DAY COUNT Life is Short and we never know how long we are going to have. We must live life to the fullest EVERY DAY. Everything we do should have a greater purpose. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LuckyMcSwervy 0 #12 September 9, 2008 Quote Lucky your ok unless it is going to take you 4 years to complete AFF. The end of the world will be 4 years from now (thats the reference to the Mayan 2012 prophecy) Cool. I'll have at least 500 in by then. I'll greet 2012 on a beach in Riviera Maya sipping on a frosty, tasty cervesa (with a slice of lime) with a nice tan. Always be kinder than you feel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cloudseeker2001 0 #13 September 9, 2008 Between this partical smasher and Ike, I may never catch my plane on Saturday..... "Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance, others mean and rueful of the western dream" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cloudseeker2001 0 #14 September 9, 2008 I just read that many researchers say yes, a blackhole is possible, but don't worry, it would not be very big............... Well, you know, some are bigger than others! "Some call it heavenly in it's brilliance, others mean and rueful of the western dream" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #15 September 9, 2008 QuoteBut Dr Evans, the leader of the project, who has devoted 14 years of his life to building the vast particle accelerator, is dismissive of the doom-mongers. In fact, he is so relaxed about the project, he even wears shorts to work. Well then, it must be safe - you know, because it's well documented that long trousers are reliable protection against black holes. My only precaution will be to make sure I know where my towel is. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
birdlike 0 #16 September 9, 2008 Quote Lucky your ok unless it is going to take you 4 years to complete AFF. The end of the world will be 4 years from now (thats the reference to the Mayan 2012 prophecy) How convenient. I guess there's no point in theorizing that maybe these people began with a belief and then went looking for the reasons to believe it, the proof that it's true? I was wondering why you asked about whether this was the Mayan prophecy. I was gonna say, "Um, it's not quite 2012 yet." Either way, I think it's far less likely that a couple of crackpot scientists are right about this being the world-killer they claim it will be than ALL of the other scientists being fools who are rushing headlong unthinkingly toward disaster. Unlike a lot of people, I'm willing to put some faith in the idea that educated physicists have cause to be confident in what they know and do. Quote But a handful of scientists believe that the experiment could create a shower of unstable black holes that could ‘eat’ the planet from within, and they are launching last-ditch efforts to halt it in the courts. One of them, Professor Otto Rossler, a retired German chemist, said he feared the experiment may create a devastating quasar – a mass of energy fuelled by black holes – inside the Earth. ‘Nothing will happen for at least four years,’ he said. ‘Then someone will spot a light ray coming out of the Indian Ocean during the night and no one will be able to explain it. ‘A few weeks later, we will see a similar beam of particles coming out of the soil on the other side of the planet. Then we will know there is a little quasar inside the planet.’ Why would it take so long? And since the accelerator is not in the center of the earth, why would the quasar be concentric with it? Wouldn't the ray of light come out from just under the earth's surface near the site of the collider, and far later come out the other side of the earth? Quote Prof Rossler said that as the spinning-top-like quasar devoured the world from within, the two jets emanating from it would grow and catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis would occur at the points they emerged from the Earth.‘The weather will change completely, wiping out life, and very soon the whole planet will be eaten in a magnificent scenario – if you could watch it from the moon. A Biblical Armageddon. Even cloud and fire will form, as it says in the Bible.’ OHHHHhhhhhhh. NOW I see what's going on here. Quote He said that attempts were still being made in the European Court of Human Rights to halt the experiment on the grounds that it violated the right to life. Nothing violates the right to life except TAKING life, or attempting to. It cannot be said conclusively and definitively that this project WILL take life. It already appears that a large number of scientists agree it will not even jeopardize life. Nothing as amusing as a frivolous lawsuit being perpetrated in Europe to confirm that the madness is not confined to the U.S. Quote Meanwhile Dr Walter Wagner, an American scientist who has been warning about the dangers of particle accelerators for 20 years, is awaiting a ruling on a lawsuit he filed a fortnight ago in his home state of Hawaii. 20 years, huh? Well, we should've had 5 ends of the earth already, then! Quote He fears the experiments might unwittingly create something he calls a ‘strangelet’ that could result in a fusion reaction that might ultimately turn the Earth into a supernova, or an exploding star. But Dr Evans, the leader of the project, who has devoted 14 years of his life to building the vast particle accelerator, is dismissive of the doom-mongers. In fact, he is so relaxed about the project, he even wears shorts to work. He said that Prof Rossler was a ‘crazy’ retired professor who had invented his own theory of relativity. ‘We have shown him where his elementary errors are, but of course people like that just will not listen,’ said Dr Evans. Reminds me of some of our friends over in Speakers Corner! Quote Meanwhile, Dr Wagner’s fears were ‘totally and completely’ unfounded. ‘There are thousands of scientists around the world who have been preparing this machine and they know what they are talking about, unlike these guys,’ he added. Well, Evans is the fool for thinking that the one or two guys who foresee doom are the ones who are wrong, and the thousands who don't are right. Hasn't he ever watched a Hollywood movie?! It's always the guy who gets disbelieved, and whose warnings are ignored by the arrogant, smug Establishment, who ends up being right!! "Always bet on black!" Spirits fly on dangerous missions Imaginations on fire Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #17 September 9, 2008 The great thing is, if the world does implode up it's own arse, we wont be around to now about it. So I say BRING IT ON You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zep 0 #18 September 9, 2008 An even if it does start to get sucked into a black hole we've got Samantha Carter to save us Gone fishing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #19 September 9, 2008 Quote An even if it does start to get sucked into a black hole we've got Samantha Carter to save us Dial me outa here Major Carter You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #20 September 9, 2008 Damn...I just paid off the last of my divorce $$$ last week. My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mamajumps 0 #21 September 9, 2008 Quote Lucky your ok unless it is going to take you 4 years to complete AFF. The end of the world will be 4 years from now (thats the reference to the Mayan 2012 prophecy) silly silly silly....NOBODY except one person knows when the world will end and it dang sure aint some fruity evolution minded scientist nit wit, nor some extinct indian tribe... I am so suprised this thread hasn't been moved to SC yet....This has quite possibly be the craziest crap I have ever read (entire thread).... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StreetScooby 5 #22 September 9, 2008 Quote Except on Wednesday they are not colliding anything, they are merely sending ONE particle down the line, later they will send another in the opposite direction, and next week is apparently when they will make 2 collide. I was reading somewhere that the energy of 2 of these particles colliding together will be equivalent to two aircraft carriers sailing into each other at 11 knots. Somehow, they are managing to accelerate these particles to 0.999999991 percent of the speed of light. Incredible stuff.We are all engines of karma Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeJD 0 #23 September 9, 2008 Quote NOBODY except one person knows when the world will end and it dang sure aint some fruity evolution minded scientist nit wit, nor some extinct indian tribe... I give up. Is it the Vogon contractor employed by the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mamajumps 0 #24 September 9, 2008 Quote Quote NOBODY except one person knows when the world will end and it dang sure aint some fruity evolution minded scientist nit wit, nor some extinct indian tribe... I give up. Is it the Vogon contractor employed by the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council? No its the zackadeedodah contractor employed by the Sub Galatic superhyperspace planning committee.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Squeak 17 #25 September 9, 2008 Quote Quote NOBODY except one person knows when the world will end and it dang sure aint some fruity evolution minded scientist nit wit, nor some extinct indian tribe... I give up. Is it the Vogon contractor employed by the Galactic Hyperspace Planning Council? I was talking to this odd little dude called Ford somthing, he suggests, that forward planning might not be smart right now.You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky) My Life ROCKS! How's yours doing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
