Scientists get death threats over Large Hadron Collider

Really people, enough is enough. Death threats? Seriously? According to a fresh report from the Telegraph, gurus working on the mysterious Large Hadron Collider are receiving all sorts of strange messages, e-mails and faxes as the go-live date (this Wednesday, supposedly) draws ever closer. For those curious about why some folks are up in arms over this thing, we'll simply point you to this very informational rap video; for those opposed to nerdy hip-hop, let's just say its primary goal is to "seek out new particles including the long-awaited Higgs boson responsible for making things weigh what they do and the possible source of gravity called dark matter." Somehow or another, the paranoid among us think that carrying out those tasks will rip the world wide open or leave you stuck in 1990 with nothing in your CD player but Ice Ice Baby. Okay, so maybe that last scenario is worth getting worked up about.

[Via TGDaily]

[Sam Clark @ Sep 7th 2008 7:44AM]

I thought all of the possible doomsday scenarios had been researched and dismissed as rubbish?
Or is there some substance behind these threats?

[white_ultras @ Sep 7th 2008 8:31AM]

The only substance behind these threats is that some
religious nut went full retard, never go full retard.

[jonas @ Sep 7th 2008 9:02AM]

it's considerd safe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safety_of_the_Large_Hadron_Collider

[Argot @ Sep 7th 2008 9:15AM]

No substance what so ever. It's spewed out by the same people that will tell you that vaccin cause autism and that chemtrails contain dangerous mind altering chemicals.

[v3xx @ Sep 7th 2008 9:49AM]

@ white ultras

grab a couple gallons of water and a few packets of kool aid, i'll bring the rest. and meet me at the collider on wednesday.

[LondonConsultant @ Sep 7th 2008 11:30AM]

No one knows the result of these high-energy collisions - that is the reason for these multi-billion dollar experiments... I'll be packing a thermos flask on Wednesday morning, just in case my local Starbucks is disrupted by micro black holes caused by strangelets interacting with vacuum bubbles near magnetic monopoles.

[Andreas @ Sep 7th 2008 12:01PM]

Scientist have not been able to to prove that the Hadron Collider is dangerous and thus have assumed it as safe. This approach is a simple 'if... then' logic which however does not work in reverse. They have not proven it safe either, irrelevant what Wikipedia says. I can also create a post on Wiki and have it look authentic riddled with BS and make claims that have no bases or truth to it. A court decided that there was no conceivable threat, aka innocent until proven guilty. Facts are they have no clue what will happen when they turn it on, and as such should with the caution and good moral fibre, do less harm. However logic and past experience tell us, as soon as mankind starts playing with nature we fuck it up. And this is irrelevant of religious sects having a god-mode experience or not.

I'd personally feel a lot better if they (scientists) have concretely disprove a thesis that they themselves have defined as plausible. High-energy particle collisions... sounds harmless... like splitting an atom....

Scientist "Oh it's a small bomb, nothing too big..... "
President: "Okay if it's a small one, I'm a bit nervous about this, but go ahead...."
Scientist: "Whooops......"
President: "WHOOPS!!! WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHOOPS!!!"
Scientist: "...oh nothing sir, we just whipped out more of Hiroshima than expected...."
President: "wheeew.... don't do that to me...so this is a good thing or bad thing... how soon will we know? Do we still need a second test?"
Scientist: "Yes, maybe... Nagasaki will be better.... nothing to worry about, all under control."

Famous last words..... And anyone thinking that any good had come of that should reflect on it, not to mention seek psychological help. (I'm talking about the bomb not the end of the war, don't confuse them)

[MioTheGreat @ Sep 7th 2008 12:00PM]

We may not know the result, but we know that they're happening all the time in our atmosphere.

Particle from space that regularly bombard the earth have similar energy levels to the experiments being carried out here.

[huh @ Sep 7th 2008 12:10PM]

Also practises thought to be reasonable over time: use of benzene as a hand wash, asbestos for insulation, 3/5 doctors smoking Camels, and mercury as a medical cure-all. Just sayin'.

[facebookfake @ Sep 7th 2008 12:29PM]

@ Andreas

Some good did come from the use of atomic bombs during WWII, people saw how horrible they are. Would you rather have had the first use of atomic weapons been hydrogen, possibly during the Cold War and on a much, much larger scale?

[Johan S @ Sep 7th 2008 1:34PM]

@Andreas

What if when you're sitting there a series of atoms of oxygen randomly hits you at a just the precise angle at a moment when the atomic quarks are aligned in a certain manner to cause micro black hole to appear? Is that possible, do you know everything about particle physics to rule it out completely? Isn't there a slight risk of it? I don't think it's safe for u to sit there.

It was far more dangerous of an endeavour to split the atom like rutherford did. When he did it, he had no clue wtf would happen.
But what thet LHC will do, we already know. Aside from the cosmic ray arguments which you seem to dismiss without knowing any particle physics, do you think the sun's massive fluctuating magnetic fields dont accelerate particles and cause collisions of equal to and greater velocity/energy than the relatively piddly litle LHC? As far as I can tell, the sun doesnt seem to have been eaten up by a strangelet black hole.

Human exploration has always come with some risk .. Columbus sailing for America .. that had a risk too .. what if there were monsters who found he tasted good and decide to invade europe? Mankind needed to find America, and we need the research from the LHC.

But what they are doing with the LHC is even less risky BECAUSE SIMILAR COLLISIONS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME WITHOUT THE UNIVERSE ENDING!

[CraigJ @ Sep 7th 2008 1:36PM]

I'm just wondering what whipped Hiroshima tastes like. Sushi?

[B.C. @ Sep 7th 2008 1:40PM]

white_ultras @ Sep 7th 2008 8:31AM
The only substance behind these threats is that some
religious nut went full retard, never go full retard.

AHAHAHAHAA!!! &%$# Dammit all! That's it, no more eating cereal while reading comments!

[Jon Doe. @ Sep 7th 2008 4:55PM]

researched no. Dismissed yes. I love how scientists can prove that X or Y will never happen based on sound scientific theory, but there easily is 3 other different ways where it could. The simply fact is we don't know what is going to happen when we flip that switch, which is why we are doing it in the first place, which is the problem with dismissing it. Its a good example of a catch 22. This isn't inventing fire here. The particles that are being created don't exist on Earth or at the very least aren't easily detectable. I'd be 100x more comfortable if this was on the moon or Mars, but that is impracticable and impossible for at least another 20-30 years minimum.
On the bright side IF something does happen these fucktards will be the first to go. Preferable in horrible searing pain as their atoms are either ripped apart or flipped.

[giuliop @ Sep 7th 2008 7:15PM]

@facebookfake

OK, So, let's say, we're in universe B, and you said:
"Some good did come from the use of atomic bombs during WWII, people saw how horrible they are. Would you rather have had the first use of atomic weapons been hydrogen, possibly during the Cold War and on a much, much larger scale?".

In universe C, atomic bombs were never used during WWII, but they were used later, during the Cold War, on a much larger scale, as you say; they destroyed 1/4 of the world but not the whole world. So in universe C, you say: "Some good did come from the use of atomic bombs during the Cold War, people saw how horrible they are. Would you rather have had the first use of atomic weapons been hydrogen, possibly during the 9/11 attacks and on a whole world scale?". Faultless, eh?

But in universe A, atomic bombs are never, ever used, and your much cleverer self says: "Some good did come from never using atomic bombs during WWII and later. Scientists kept on studying the possible effects and discovered how bad they were, so humanity wouldn't take that chance."

In what universe would you rather live? And why are you people so dumb?

[Craig B. @ Sep 7th 2008 7:22PM]

I'd be willing to bet that there is at least 1 litigator out there who's already drafted a lawsuit and is waiting to launch it like a bunch of crazy nanoparticles. Speaking of which, I wonder what new tort this would be - negligent creation of matter destroying particles?

[rock99rock @ Sep 7th 2008 7:53PM]

@giuliop

Do you own a time machine? If not, then include yourself in your "you people" statement at the end.

Live in the now, man.

[Jon @ Sep 8th 2008 11:41AM]

@giuliop

"But in universe A, atomic bombs are never, ever used, and your much cleverer self says: "Some good did come from never using atomic bombs during WWII and later. Scientists kept on studying the possible effects and discovered how bad they were, so humanity wouldn't take that chance.""

Never mind the millions of people (Japanese and American) who would have died to continue the war to its' end.

[giuliop @ Sep 9th 2008 5:56PM]

@rock99rock
"Live in the now, man."

In the now, atomic bombs were never good, man. Unless you're dumb. Sorry.

@Jon
Oh, but in universe A people are so much cleverer they finish wars early, and then go to the pub.

[Patriks7 @ Sep 7th 2008 7:48AM]

doesn't look as fancy as a Terminator tho..

[Jon @ Sep 7th 2008 11:35AM]

They should make a movie there when they're done with the experiment.

[Ridgecity @ Sep 7th 2008 4:42PM]

Hopefully all the guys that know how to turn it off won't be standing on the same place...

[Gav @ Sep 7th 2008 7:48AM]

Probably fundamentalist Christians who are worried that this will present even more evidence against the 6day/6000year/beard-man bull.

[ethana2 @ Sep 7th 2008 8:15AM]

That makes no sense to me.
I can't wait to see what they find out with this thing..

It's probably people who just heard some rumor, flipped out, hunted down contact info, and started sending them crap. I wouldn't expect them to be very bright.....

[Andy TGD @ Sep 7th 2008 8:51AM]

The fundamentalist argument doesn't really hold water for me. Like ethana2 says, its probably some complete nutter who heard rumours about this machine which might cause a black hole and swallow up the world.

N.B. Eh, for those of you who don't know, the creation story is Hebrew poetry - like a lot of poetic things, it probably should be taken with a pinch of salt. But if you're a creationist who happens to be reading this then, if you want to take it word-for-word, fair enough.

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 7th 2008 11:13AM]

Sure there are plenty of creationist out there, but don't lump all Christians in that category. I was taught (in a Catholic high school) that many of the early Hebrew scriptures were simply designed as a way of teaching moral responsibility. Were some of them based on actual events? Sure. But they have been elaborated. Of course. We do the same thing with our heroes. Like George Washington chopping down a cherry tree and I am sure there are stories like that in ever culture. Now are there branches of Christianity that believe in creationism, yes, but like I said, not all.

[BigD145 @ Sep 7th 2008 12:14PM]

@thatrotierkid
Many? Try "ALL". Not only that, but it's mostly regurgitated from older morality stories.

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 7th 2008 1:21PM]

@Big

Learn what all means:

all /ɔl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[awl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective
1. the whole of (used in referring to quantity, extent, or duration): all the cake; all the way; all year.
2. the whole number of (used in referring to individuals or particulars, taken collectively): all students.
3. the greatest possible (used in referring to quality or degree): with all due respect; with all speed.
4. every: all kinds; all sorts.

I am Catholic (aka Christian), I believe fully in evolution. As I said before, I was taught creation was just a story used for moral guidance. Maybe I should have mentioned that it was taught to me by my religion teacher who is now in the seminary studying to be a priest in Catholic church. So if two Christians, one who is going to be a priest, can believe in evolution and not get kicked out of the church, I am sure there are plenty of people who believe the same as us. In fact, most of my high school believed in evolution. The problem is all people like you ever see are the Christians you see on TV, the news, and 60 minutes specials. The ones from the mega-churches out in western USA, or the ones who are homophobic, or the ones who disregard all scientific knowledge. Those are the fundamentalist extremist in Christianity. Just like all Muslims arent terrorists, not all Christians are ultra-conservatives. Some of us are moderates and *gasp* liberals! So why don't you try learning more about something before you go making gross generalizations based on the info fed to you by Fox News.

[Minilap @ Sep 7th 2008 1:37PM]

Religions are such sad things to believe.

Now Low rank me all you ostriches.

[Brian @ Sep 7th 2008 2:15PM]

@ thatrotierkid
Please reproduce quickly and indescriminantly. The world needs people like you.

[thatrotierkid @ Sep 7th 2008 4:27PM]

@Brian

If you were being serious: Haha thanks. Too many people in this world dont think about what is said to them and just take it at face value. There's a difference between opinionated and having an opinion. One means you defend what you believe, the latter means you understand what you believe in. I think too many people think they know what they are talking about because they "saw it on the news." Wake up people, the news is edited for entertainment value. There are so many things in this world that are more important than Britney Spears' baby that don't get reported on. Not only that, but its always the bad stuff you see on the news. You hear about every priest who has looked at a child of sue-happy parents the wrong way, yet you never hear about the ones who have been working in terrible conditions to help the poor for 20 years. Groups are always defined by the members who get the most coverage, unfortunately, its usually the bad ones.

If you were being sarcastic: That's what birth control is for.

[Chris R @ Sep 7th 2008 6:57PM]

Nah, its the crappy "news" tabloids that have caused it. Because there is no real proof of what will actually happen they have made up something - not that that's anything unusual for the Sun paper - so all the retards who read it (which is saying a lot as I doubt most of their regular buyers can get beyond page 3 when the pretty pictures stop) have swallowed it.

[sk @ Sep 7th 2008 7:49AM]

Yep, and the world is flat.

[Julien Eid @ Sep 8th 2008 9:19PM]

http://www.theflatearthsociety.org/forum/

And Antarctica doesn't exist...

[broli @ Sep 7th 2008 7:50AM]

Don't worry people if disaster happens it will happen so fast you won't even realize you vanished.

[ethana2 @ Sep 7th 2008 8:16AM]

Think of it this way:
an end to world hunger ;)

[Ridgecity @ Sep 7th 2008 4:30PM]

I'm planning to have as much sex as I can before october 21.

[Lucretius @ Sep 7th 2008 7:38PM]

Good luck with that, Nondescript Engadget Poster. Personally, I'm going for a far more realistic goal of having as much sex with ice cream as I can before October 21. With my mouth. Yum yum in my tum tum, you nutty dreamer.

[Nytrojen @ Sep 7th 2008 7:50AM]

Damnit man! This isn't science fiction! It's REAL fiction!

[ethana2 @ Sep 7th 2008 8:17AM]

Don't they get it? If we die in real life, we die.. yeah.

[brandon @ Sep 7th 2008 11:32AM]

If big shiny thing goes boom, we all die.

[ethana2 @ Sep 7th 2008 12:03PM]

Yeah that would have worked a lot better if the LHC was in Ontario..
..xkcd ftw.

[rusty @ Sep 7th 2008 3:19PM]

Don't you mean non-fiction?

[O Canada @ Sep 7th 2008 4:20PM]

Doesn't anyone get it? If Canada dies, no one will know.. or care!

[Nytrojen @ Sep 7th 2008 7:50PM]

Yeah... well done to everyone for not getting the American Dad quote.

[Wad @ Sep 9th 2008 2:26AM]

LOL - fiction means "a story" that is not real.

If it is "real fiction" as you say then it is a "real story"

You should have said "this in not science fiction people it is real"

[broli @ Sep 7th 2008 7:52AM]

And for god's sake why is the comment system still messy. Why are there more comments pre posting a comment than post commenting. How can such a basic system be lacking for so long and that on a tech savy site. Tapolsky didn't you promise to fix this, or was that just election talk.

[Chuck @ Sep 7th 2008 8:23AM]

Maybe the comment system needs to take a little trip through the collider... please?

[Aguiluz @ Sep 7th 2008 9:06AM]

How about an engadget forum?

[Atanas Boev @ Sep 7th 2008 12:40PM]

Please. fix the commenting system!