Dangerous experiments

[Kanaric]

I was reading up on some paticle accelerator experiments and the possible outcomes of some, especially at the Large Hadron Collider and there are some interesting theories of what could happen. Especially the one on if they manage to create strange matter.

Basically what would happen is that i could cause a chain reaction turning all matter on earth into strange matter which of course would be disastrous. Even if its a small amount, called a strangelet, this could happen as it only needs to touch a nucleus to cause this reaction.


Are there any other experiments that you know of that could lead to serious problems? This one interested me the most of the ones that I have read about.

One idea that i've always had, about life, is what if the reason why SETI or whoever else never has found any evidence though radio or other methods that they use is because all sentient life destroys itself with experiments such as this?

[Lunar4]

One idea that i've always had, about life, is what if the reason why SETI or whoever else never has found any evidence though radio or other methods that they use is because all sentient life destroys itself with experiments such as this?

Could be.

or

Could be the Aliens evolved "beyond" radio

[Simetrical]

An interesting point. If it happens, though, we probably won't have long to worry about it. I doubt a physical process like that would happen slowly, it'd probably be just about instantaneous. So, oh well ― nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Chaigidel]

we do what we can because we must !!!!

[Medicus]

ASAIK, strangelets are just a theory. They don't exist.

[Kiljan Arslan]

Welll if it creates anti Matter and is then able to be used in starship propulsion I'm all for it!

[Kanaric]

ASAIK, strangelets are just a theory. They don't exist.

Just because something is a theory doesn't mean that it does not exist. In fact scientific theories usually are considered to exist.

The difference in this case is that not all scientists agree on strangelets. This is just a thought though, some kind of idea. Like the "grey goo" nanotechnology theory. I did think that strange matter was accepted as existing though?

There is a belief that soon particle accelerators could create some kind of micro black hole and scientists believe in this "hawking radiation" that is considered controversial that is supposed to dissipate them. If it turns out to be controversial for a reason we would look foolish to say the least, lol.



There are other experiments as well that are obviously dangerous as well such as ones that deal with genetics. This is just the only one that i've read about recently.

[CyberFist]

So, is there an ethics committee around that considers "the destruction of us all" when it comes to science, as opposed to the rather mundane "stem-cell" stream of science?

Who oversees these tempters of fate :hmmm:

Seems like it is only TWC....

[SorelusImperion]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawking_radiationIIRC some scientists consider trying to create artificial mini-black holes wich if Hawking is correct would either evaporate shortly after beeing created. If everything goes as planned and predicted it should be theoreticaly possible to create an artificial black hole in 2008.

Personaly I consider it very dangerous to play around with black holes as I can think of no way how to control a black hole's size, growth and activity apart of keeping any mass out of it's event horizon wich would be a bit difficult if this black hole is going to be stable instead of evaporating through Hawking radiation.

[Simetrical]

Personaly I consider it very dangerous to play around with black holes as I can think of no way how to control a black hole's size, growth and activity apart of keeping any mass out of it's event horizon wich would be a bit difficult if this black hole is going to be stable instead of evaporating through Hawking radiation.

Things touching a black hole don't automatically get sucked in, you know. If you have a black hole that touches a solid object, it has to overcome the inter- and intramolecular forces to pull any piece of it in. If you define a black hole to be any object smaller than its Schwarzchild radius, and define particles to be points, then in fact every particle is technically a black hole, as far as I can see. In fact it's obvious that if gravity were the only force, no matter could coexist except as singularities (possibly multiple singularities moving apart). The point is that for a big black hole, the gravity is strong enough to overcome all other forces if you get too close. For a small black hole that need not be the case. There doesn't have to be any danger at all, Hawking radiation or not.

[Kiljan Arslan]

Okay creation of black holes even artificial is a bad Idea and should be banned.

[Simetrical]

Okay creation of black holes even artificial is a bad Idea and should be banned.

Why? They pose no risk.

[Richard]

Would it be less dangerous if we did this stuff on the moon instead of under Switzerland?

[Kiljan Arslan]

Well if its just antimatter all we'd see would be a small non radioactive megaton explosion in sweeden if its a blackhole gettion out of hand were ****ed!

[Spurius]

David Brin's Earth is all about such a black hole scenario going wrong - or starts with it, really - it's a good yarn. (1991 Hugo runner-up for best SF novel)

http://www.amazon.com/Earth-David-Brin/dp/055329024X

Hawking radiation is nothing to worry about if you have gravity already killing you. It's basically dual particles formed at the edge of the black hole, with one shooting in, one out - this way the black hole dissipates slowly, according to Hawking.

[Spurius]

Neither does the one in Earth, really - until protesters set the power station on fire, thereby unwittingly 'releasing' it.

[Kiljan Arslan]

Really black holes do not pose any risk to us?

[Richard]

Really black holes do not pose any risk to us?

Simetrical knows what he's talking about I daresay.

[Spurius]

I think Sim has nuclear reactors in mind - in the old days we built them that if we walked away the reaction would go out of hand, these days we build them so that they go OUT when we walk away.

Naturally, you would try to do the same thing with a black hole experiment.

Safety is in using your brain - but it's not an iron-clad guarantee.

[Gary88]

Things touching a black hole don't automatically get sucked in, you know. If you have a black hole that touches a solid object, it has to overcome the inter- and intramolecular forces to pull any piece of it in. If you define a black hole to be any object smaller than its Schwarzchild radius, and define particles to be points, then in fact every particle is technically a black hole, as far as I can see. In fact it's obvious that if gravity were the only force, no matter could coexist except as singularities (possibly multiple singularities moving apart). The point is that for a big black hole, the gravity is strong enough to overcome all other forces if you get too close. For a small black hole that need not be the case. There doesn't have to be any danger at all, Hawking radiation or not.

reminds me of a question our profesor asked the other day in our cosmology lecture.

"what would happen to the earth if the sun were replaced by a black hole of one solar mass"

you should have heard some of the "we're all gonna die" answers before someone calmly stated "it would carry on in exactly the same orbit"