Scientists Not So Sure 'Doomsday Machine' Won't Destroy Worl

Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:50 pm » by **Spock**

Just when we thought it may be safe to start the LHC...

From FoxNews.com Link at bottom.

Still worried that the Large Hadron Collider will create a black hole that will destroy the Earth when it's finally switched on this summer?

Um, well, you may have a point.

Three physicists have reexamined the math surrounding the creation of microscopic black holes in the Switzerland-based LHC, the world's largest particle collider, and determined that they won't simply evaporate in a millisecond as had previously been predicted.

Rather, Roberto Casadio of the University of Bologna in Italy and Sergio Fabi and Benjamin Harms of the University of Alabama say mini black holes could exist for much longer — perhaps even more than a second, a relative eternity in particle colliders, where most objects decay much faster.

Under such long-lived conditions, it becomes a race between how fast a black hole can decay — and how fast it can gobble up matter to grow bigger and prevent itself from decaying.

Casadio, Fabi and Harms think the black hole would lose out, and pass through the Earth or out of the atmosphere before it got to be a problem.

"We conclude that ... the growth of black holes to catastrophic size does not seem possible. Nonetheless, it remains true that the expected decay times are much longer (and possibly >> 1 second) than is typically predicted by other models," the three state in a brief paper posted at the scientific discussion Web site ArXiv.org.

FoxNews.com can think of a few other things that didn't seem possible once — the theory of continental drift, the fact that rocks fall from the sky, the notion that the Earth revolves around the sun, the idea that scientists could be horribly wrong.

We're also wondering how often the LHC might create individual black holes, since longer-lived ones have a greater chance of merging with each other, and, um, well, see ya.

If the worst comes to pass, and there's now a slightly greater chance that it might, at least it might explain why we've never heard from extraterrestrial civilizations: Maybe they built Large Hadron Colliders of their own.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,483477,00.html

Tue Jan 27, 2009 7:57 pm » by **Towelie**

Ive never liked this thing, its so dangerous.
I was reading something about this yesterday, the new calculations show theres a way higher chance itll kill us all than previously thought. Well it took em long enough to admit it.

Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:22 pm » by **Spock**

Yea - it scares me too.

If there is any chance - then the chance is too great.

Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:24 pm » by **Tobygrey**

i thought that aslong there is gravity and light a black hole wouldnt die, onley grow, so evin if its small it wont die within a sec i think.

lets hope they didnt miscalculated! :nails:

Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:25 pm » by **Towelie**

Exactly what i think - why take the risk when the risk is so large.
Then again it is the same people that blew up hydrogen bombs in the atmopsphere to see if it would burn up.

Depending upon its size black holes can live for various times, they do "die" eventualy, all of them.

Tue Jan 27, 2009 8:58 pm » by **Wrathofkahn**

scary stuff indeed! Of course though they thought the atom bomb would start a chain reaction in the atmosphere igniting all of it. I was writing that as you last posted towlie!

Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:17 pm » by **Tobygrey**

On the other hand if it all goes well and the experiment is a succes their is much to be learned from it.
maybe evin free everlasting energie sources.
(Free?, nah they will let you pay for it annyway :censored:

)
atleast it will be clean ! :flop:

Lets just hope thats the case !!

Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:21 pm » by **Towelie**

Loadsa great possibilities if it goes well - but is it worth the risk.
I think it shouldve been left alone for the time being, atleast untill we know more theres still too many unknown variables.

Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:28 pm » by **Tobygrey**

I agree, its to dangerous.
but i think it going to happen annyway they already made up there mind.

its gonna happen, its build and they wont just let it go to waste so the speak.

evin if they will tell us for some reason that they will wait untill they have more data.
they will do it annyway without consent, becouse thats just the way it works.

again i agree with your statement that its to dangerous without more researce!
but there is nothing we can do!
its a shame realy!!

We all could die becouse the impationt morons !
(exuuse my english)

Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:30 pm » by **Towelie**

Theyve already had three explosions there - not a good start.