In Search of the God Particle

CNN reported this morning the beginning to one of the most anticipated scientific eras. Underneath the boarder of Switzerland and France lies a 17 mile tunnel where scientists hope to recreate the conditions of the universe directly following the Big Bang. Two beams of protons will swirl around the tunnel in opposite directions, allowing the particles to crash into each other.

The experiments conducted with this particle accelerator could lead to many important discoveries. Ultimately, scientists hope to gain greater insight into the evolution of the universe. They are also hoping to detect the theoretical Higgs boson particle, also known as the "God particle." The Higgs boson particle has never actually been detected, however its discovery could lead to an understanding of why atoms have mass. In addition, dimentions that were previously hidden to us could be discovered. According to Yahoo! News, some scientists may also begin research of antimatter. The findings of these experiments could potentially alter and contradict many current theories about the nature of the universe. However, it is not expected that there will be any major discoveries until 2009.

While the majority of the scientific community was rejoicing, some people were concerned with the fact that running this particle accelerator could create a black hole that would swallow up the earth. A legal bid was made in attempt to stop the project from continuing, however, the bid failed. People seem to agree that the chances of creating a black hole are not great enough to worry, and that the discoveries to be made are well worth the risk. According to John Huth, a physics professor at Harvard, the earth could easily pass through a black hole without any harm.

While today's events were just part of the testing procedures to make sure that everything is functioning properly, it has been suggested that scientists should be able to begin conducting experiments in the next couple of months.