Higgs Boson

[Richard T]

Within two minutes of the BBC's breaking news that scientists at CERN have discovered evidence of a particle displaying "Higgs - like" properties ... they reported that they had had a text from someone in Sevenoaks saying "We don't need to know how the universe works".

Well done England and God bless the BBC. =D>

 

[monkeybiter]

I wish people who only do what they 'need' to would open their minds or close their mouths.

 

[Noel]

I'm with Sevenoaks, sort out our own house before spending billions and years fathing about underground looking at quarks and gluons and big bang nonsense.

 

[t8hants]

foreigners should not be allowed to have anything that may mean they have better weapons than us!
If it isn't for WMD, or free energy for ever, I think there are better areas to spend that amount of money.

 

[monkeybiter]

foreigners should not be allowed to have anything that may mean they have better weapons than us!
If it isn't for WMD, or free energy for ever, I think there are better areas to spend that amount of money.

:lol: :lol:

 

[StevieB]

I do hope there is some irony in this thread, otherwise there is certainly a clear lack of understanding of scientific endeavour! Why must we measure the importance of everything in terms of the money it costs to attain it? Do you look at your wife and wonder why you love her so much, or do you look at your wife and wonder how much money you have spent on her over the years. Kids - do they make you feel good or do you see small money sinks running round your house?

The search for the Higgs Bosun is not so we can say - ooh look, a Higgs Bosun. It's about understanding how the world around us works. An understanding of electrons gave us electricity. An understanding of nuclear fission gave us (almost) limitless energy (admittedly with some downsides). An understanding of radiation gave us medical x-rays. What will an understanding of 96% of the mass of any particle give us? Would we have built more hospitals if we (mankind) hadn't built the LHC? No. How about more schools? No again. Would the world be a better place - less wars, famine and disease? No. I for one am glad we look at the universe around us and try to understand the world we live in. The alternative is to ignore the world around you and attribute everything to your deity of choice, and look what insights that has brought mankind over the last 2000 years!

 

[Richard T]

Yes Stevie, bags of irony.

The story replaced what they had been going to (probably Wombledon) as the world - shattering news that it is. They quickly wheeled in the science reporter to give us a quick dumbed down recap for simpletons of what it all means, read that text out, then we were back to the serious business of what mr. Diamond may or may not say later on today.

News 24 seems to consist of speculation and "what do you reckon?" - even with a story like this.

 

[Richard T]

ITN are just as bad - they've just told me that "the top story" is that Bob Diamond is nearly at the place where he is going to say something a while after he gets there.

 

[woodaxed]

Well so they have found the "God Particle" now man can change it as normal.
As for nuclear reactors if they had spend as much money on working out how to make it harmless after use as they did on bomb
making it may have been free energy without all the downsides.
mind you the way china is polluting the world we probably wont have to wait that long

 

[gus3049]

The search for the Higgs Bosun is not so we can say - ooh look, a Higgs Bosun. It's about understanding how the world around us works. An understanding of electrons gave us electricity. An understanding of nuclear fission gave us (almost) limitless energy (admittedly with some downsides). An understanding of radiation gave us medical x-rays. What will an understanding of 96% of the mass of any particle give us? Would we have built more hospitals if we (mankind) hadn't built the LHC? No. How about more schools? No again. Would the world be a better place - less wars, famine and disease? No. I for one am glad we look at the universe around us and try to understand the world we live in. The alternative is to ignore the world around you and attribute everything to your deity of choice, and look what insights that has brought mankind over the last 2000 years!

Amen to that!

The only reason we all have what we enjoy today is those in the past with enquiring minds. Maybe folk still want to live in the past where science had yet to improve their lives the way it has. Of course there are downsides. Thats the way of the universe it seems but I would rather feel a bit of wonder at the discoveries than be stuck in 'only do it for need'.

I don't need wine, computers, cars, planes, books, music, pets or a wife but I want them thank you very much. I suspect my life may be a bit burdensome without some of them. Science gave us one or two on that list and I look forward to what else can be added through the latest research. There seems to be a big movement towards distrusting science and scientists at present what with MMGW and the rest.

Try expanding your horizons some of you and maybe you will find the sense of wonder that actually makes life worthwhile.

 

[thick_mike]

I used to think that the LHC at CERN was a big waste of money, but I changed my mind after visiting it a few years ago. It is such an inspiring place. The engineering has to be seen to be believed. Within the same building they have the hottest place in the universe and one of the coldest. The students we took to visit all came back wanting careers in science and engineering.

The protons that they fire around the collider come from a small hydrogen cylinder. They have detectors around the collider monitoring the protons as they go round. A while back they couldn't detect the protons and it set all the alarms off. Everyone was panicking thinking these high energy particles with the same momentum as an ocean liner were escaping causing mayhem. Then someone said "have you checked the cylinder?"...the hydrogen had run out. It takes seven years to use up 16kg of hydrogen and most people only work there for a couple of years. They had to shut it down for a couple of days while they put a cylinder on order!

 

[RogerS]

Well said, StevieB. And if the discovery and further understanding as a result of this led the ay forward towards fusion energy then the world would certainly be in a much much better place. But then the naysayers only ever look as far as the end of their nose.

 

[woodaxed]

Problem with fusion it give of radiation i worked for a short while at the JET lab in the uk joint european torus at Culham
that was a long time ago and we still have no useable results
bottom line is not what we learn is what we do with it

 

[woodbloke]

Well said, StevieB. And if the discovery and further understanding as a result of this led the ay forward towards fusion energy then the world would certainly be in a much much better place. But then the naysayers only ever look as far as the end of their nose.

Abslolutely...well said Stevie and Rog - Rob

 

[Dibs-h]

Why must we measure the importance of everything in terms of the money it costs to attain it? Do you look at your wife and wonder why you love her so much, or do you look at your wife and wonder how much money you have spent on her over the years. Kids - do they make you feel good or do you see small money sinks running round your house?

How did such comments get past the censorship committee? LOL!

 

[Grahamshed]

You have got to love science. Look how long it would take us to produce sawdust without the router.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Look, I don't want to keep harping on about money, but what I don't understand is this:

These bozo things are supposed to be everywhere, right?

Like, um, down the sofa, up my left nostril, even some in Weston-super-Mare (and we all know there's absolutely NOTHING there at all). Mega-lots of them, innit? Right?

So why did they spend so much on just ONE of them?

I mean, I usually find a 10p piece down the side of the sofa, and it doesn't take any effort at all, as long as I avoid that spiky bit you can't see.

An' it's all underground, so you can't really see what's goin' on down there. They could be digging up gold, and we'd be none the wiser.

Someone's definitely 'avin a giraffe. . .

 

[woodbloke]

I mean, I usually find a 10p piece down the side of the sofa..

Yebut E, as I understand stuff, only 6% of that 10p is proper 'matter', the other 94% is 'dark matter' etc etc. The Higgs particle will, or ought in the future, to be able to tell us where the rest of it is lurking down the sofa :lol: - Rob

 

[Richard T]

This particle proves that matter has mass. Today is an historic occasion - we can now all sit down and take the weight off our feet. Legit.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

94% is dark matter? a big accountancy firm some years ago worked out that if you spent £1 in a night club, that is the % that ultimately is paid in tax!