Was the Large Hadron Collider built to "recreate the Big Bang"?

[ColbertWatcher]

[YOY]

1. I thought they were trying to find out if the Higgs-Boson particle actually existed.

Everything else is just kind of assisted in this type of research.

[chelsea0011]

2. It is the devil's work, sent by Satan to use science to destroy all mankind.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. trying to find more dilithium crystals

for scotty?

[Ian David]

4. If you want to know about conditions only seconds after The Big Bang, just ask McCain. He was there.

[ColbertWatcher]

6. LOL! Just don't ask Palin how old the earth is, because that's sexist. n/t

[rucky]

5. heh, heh. you said Hadron.

heh

[Canuckistanian]

7. How can you 'simulate' the beginning of matter, energy and time?

The Bush administration has already tried, but were off by a few million decimal points.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. They didn't pray hard enough. n/t

[flvegan]

9. Lord Vader ordered it for the New and Improved Death Star.

[cynatnite]

10. Hawking is betting a 100 bucks they don't find the higgs particle n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

11. I know! Too funny! n/t

[EOTE]

12. I'll take that bet!

What's he gonna do, beat it out of me?

[Canuckistanian]

17. Is there a backstory to this?

I'd like to know.

[cynatnite]

21. Here is where I read about it...

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,24323756-5001028,00.html?from=public_rss

[Canuckistanian]

31. Cool

I never knew Hawking had such a sense of adventure.

[mrfrapp]

23. Hawking's Wagers

Hawking has a history of placing bets like this.

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

[Canuckistanian]

30. Hawking bet a Penthouse subscription?

Whatever floats your boat....

[MilesColtrane]

13. When I saw the LHC story described by a CNN headline writer as "Big Bang Machine Switched On"...

...I simply put my face in my palm.

People who can't write, writing stories for people who can't read...

[ColbertWatcher]

14. They did something similar on MSNBC, which is why I posed this. n/t

[lurky]

15. It was built to scare the poop out of internet kooks.

Just like HAARP and the Denver Airport.
:P

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. A buncha scientists had a lot of time and a lot of money.

So, what the hell? It's not like the money could be used elsewhere.

[MilesColtrane]

19. Thank goodness our Congress agrees with you.

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

Who cares about the fundamental nature of reality when that cash can go to Halliburton?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. Or, cancer research, education, enviromental protection, etc.

I'm all for finding out about the universe. But, there are a few things that are a tad more important to people. Not to mention that our beloved politicians and military are no doubt eager to find uses for all those nifty lasers.

[MilesColtrane]

26. It's all well and good to advocate cutting funding for scientific research in the hope that...

...that money will be diverted to people in need, but when has that ever happened?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

29. I certainly can't disagree wih that.

Politicians have a real knack for jumbling priorities in favor of the needless over the needy.

[Cerridwen]

32. From the creators of the World Wide Web...

How the web was born

cancer treatment and medical imaging - additional applications could come from additional experiments using the LHC; there was a great interview with a biologist who discussed this.

medical devices; implants, tools

scientific research

The Grid that had to be developed to handle the volume of data they will generate from the experiments.

There's more about some technologies developed over the course of the LHC that can be used with solar panels and other environmental applications, medical isotopes, agricultural uses, and so much more.

It's a very cool site and a lot of information about technology transfer and projected uses. That's just the stuff they can imagine now. Imagine living in the 5th Century and trying to imagine some of the technology we have today.

Not to mention what happens if they don't find the Higgs boson. There was another great interview in which one of the scientists discussed that aspect as well. There are a lot of audio interviews at the site. Some highlights from the live webcast this morning.

If you've got some time, check it out. It's amazing what happens when you start to study the stuff from which we and our planet are made. :D

edit to add: I'm not a scientist but I found the site very "user friendly" for the non-scientist. I could understand what they said, in other words. :D

[rug]

18. You need a big hadron to get a big bang.

[HVAC600]

20. Why doesnt America have a big bang?

[MarkInCA]

24. My eyes must be getting tired...

...move two letters around in Hadron and the subject line takes on a whole new meaning.

:spray:

[ColbertWatcher]

25. LOL! Welcome to DU! n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

27. LOL! Welcome to DU! n/t

[Jamastiene]

28. Nah, they just wanted to download porn faster. n/t