A momentous day for science?

It is being reported that scientists at CERN have managed to measure sub-atomic particles travelling faster than the speed of light. The speed measured exceeded the speed of light (186,282 miles per second) by 60 nanoseconds. If true, this discovery would challenge Einstein's special theory of relativity and make all sorts of theories regarding limitations on the speed of travel theoretically out of date.

Has the Higgs Boson been found?

Rumours abound that the Higgs boson particle has been discovered but not at CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The rumour is that it has been discovered by the Tevatronat the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. All may become clear at the International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP), which will open in Paris on 22 July.

If CERN get it wrong today

It's very unlikely though... So in the meantime let's reprise the Large Hadron Collider rap...


For more, look here, here or here,

Ignorance breeds violence

Ignorance breeds violence and The Telegraph has the latest example:

"Scientists get death threats over Large Hadron Collider - Scientists working on the world's biggest machine are being besieged by phone calls and emails from people who fear the world will end next Wednesday, when the gigantic atom smasher starts up."

I can do no better than report the words of Prof Brian Cox of Manchester University -

"Anyone who thinks the LHC will destroy the world is a t---."

Of course if he and I are wrong and the LHC does create a black hole that destroys the Earth, then I do apologise, although it might be a little late by then!

If you are unsure what CERN's Large Hadron Collider is designed to do then do visit their website or watch the Large Hadron Collider rap which I have posted before and in the interests of science post again...