Science Sunday: Man Bets Large Hadron Collider Will Destroy Earth
Joe Keane is betting $1000 that the LHC will destroy all life on the planet. I wonder how he will collect? If he wins, the money goes to the NRA(hah). If Joe loses, the money will be donated to Save the Children.
His challenger’s argument after the jump.
Cosmic rays throughout the universe produce similar collisions of higher energy than will be possible with the LHC on a regular basis.
Even if a micro black hole is created AND it does not instantly evaporate AND it becomes trapped by the earth’s gravity, it is likely that it will aggregate mass so slowly that something else out there will destroy the earth before the black hole is able to do so.
A strangelet disaster is similarly unlikely. The mere fact that Earth (in addition to countless other stars and planets) has not yet been converted to strange matter is a testament in itself to the rarity of such an event in the universe.
As for a vacuum metastability event, well, we probably would have been killed by such an event resulting from either natural sources or an extraterrestrial civilization’s particle collider long ago if it were that easy to initiate.
It just makes me nervous when the scientists involved say it PROBABLY won’t destroy the earth. I guess they have never played Doom or HalfLife. I’m setting up headcrab traps, just in case.
Check out Long Bets for the full details of the bet and some pretty entertaining comments.
when is the exact date scientist start this bad boy?
The countdown can be found here: http://www.lhcountdown.com/
I hope it does, then I don’t have to go to my meeting on friday!
Or anything to else…ever.
[face_dancing] =D
you lied to me Spilt!!! we’re still alive!!!! damn yous!!!! damn yous all to hell!!!!