Reading the mind of God

[Don]

http://bigthink.com/ideas/19542

Michio Kaku
Professor of Theoretical Physics



You’ve probably been hearing a lot about the Large Hadron Collider in the news lately. After 16 years the LHC seems to be in the headlines each week, breaking speed, energy level, and other types of records right and left. In fact, just last month the accelerator broke its previous record by shooting two beams of protons at an energy level of 3.5 trillion electron volts (TeV) each. Last week the accelerator finally began to smash subatomic particles together, producing temperatures not seen since the Big Bang 13.7 billion years ago. The LHC still has yet to be brought up to its full operating capacity of 14 TeV, but CERN physicists are saying that it won't be too much longer.

As things continue to advance during this period of rapid development, you can keep track of the changes using the same system LHC engineers and physicists use to monitor the collider's status and activity. CERN provides a live LHC status tool on their website with an explanation of its features. The page content, including current tasks, energy levels, and raw data for experimental collisions, is updated quite frequently by LHC operators. CERN also provides a wonderful 66-page LHC guide and FAQ for you to read. I should also point out that CERN's document server provides a spectacular array of over 20,000 photos.

Once the LHC was operational, it was just nine days after protons were first circulated in both directions that an electrical connection between magnets halted all operations, requiring months of repairs. Other malfunctions during initial tests and operations included large helium leaks, overheating magnets, a broken transformer, and even a short circuit caused by a piece of bread dropped by a bird on an outdoor electrical installation. Many conspiracy theories started popping up from all over the world and circulated the Internet almost overnight. Some of these theories claimed that the LHC would open up a black hole that would swallow the earth, giving rise to the phrase “Doomsday Machine." At one point, two well-regarded physicists formulated a theory that suggested that the experiments were being sabotaged from the future. Yet with regard to the LHC blowing up the earth or sucking us all into a black hole, you have to remember that Mother Nature thinks of this machine as a pea shooter compared to the cosmic rays that hit the earth on a daily basis.

Today the LHC may have the potential to explain the origin of all four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Physicists believe that at the beginning of time there was a single superforce that unified these fundamental forces. Finding it could be the crowning achievement in the history of science.

Through the LHC, we hope to finally prove the existence of the Higgs boson, which is the only particle yet to be observed by the Standard Model. There is a hypothetical, ever-present quantum field that is supposedly responsible for giving particles their masses; this field would answer the basic question of why particles have the masses they do or why they have any mass at all. According to CERN, "The answer may be the so-called Higgs mechanism. According to the theory of the Higgs mechanism, the whole of space is filled with a ‘Higgs field,’ and by interacting with this field, particles acquire their masses. Particles that interact intensely with the Higgs field are heavy, while those that have feeble interactions are light. The Higgs field has at least one new particle associated with it, the Higgs boson. If such a particle exists, experiments at the LHC will be able to detect it.”

Ultimately, what we want to get out of the Large Hadron Collider is something so fantastic, it could rewrite science entirely. We want to create something called sparticles (super-particles) that represent the next set of vibrations of the superstring. We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

[LtVanish]

Some of these theories claimed that the LHC would open up a black hole that would swallow the earth, giving rise to the phrase “Doomsday Machine." At one point, two well-regarded physicists formulated a theory that suggested that the experiments were being sabotaged from the future.

This is the stuff that scares the shit out of me. Who knows what this thing is going to do. I don't trust these nuts running this thing.

[Don]

Some of these theories claimed that the LHC would open up a black hole that would swallow the earth, giving rise to the phrase “Doomsday Machine." At one point, two well-regarded physicists formulated a theory that suggested that the experiments were being sabotaged from the future.

This is the stuff that scares the shit out of me. Who knows what this thing is going to do. I don't trust these nuts running this thing.

If anything like that were to ever happen, it would be the equivalent of a supernova in our own solar system, meaning we would be gone so fast we wouldn't know what hit us. No pain, just poof!

[*Laura]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

[steveo777]

I would think that the Hardon Collider is always a dangerous thing.

[LtVanish]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I don't think any of this is meant to be toyed with at all.

[parfait]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I don't think any of this is meant to be toyed with at all.

It's not about "toying" with anything at all. It's about making important scientific progress, dumbo.

If anyone of you would bother reading up on LHC you would understand that a micro black hole will be completely harmless. M-theory and superstring theory is one of the few theories in physics that's actually interesting.

[LtVanish]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I don't think any of this is meant to be toyed with at all.

It's not about "toying" with anything at all. It's about making important scientific progress, dumbo.

If anyone of you would bother reading up on LHC you would understand that a micro black hole will be completely harmless. M-theory and superstring theory is one of the few theories in physics that's actually interesting.

Why must we make this scientific progress? Time Travel perhaps? We already know the outcome of that by watching Back to the Future. Exactly how would a micro black hole be harmless? Has it been done before to prove all would be ok?

[parfait]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I don't think any of this is meant to be toyed with at all.

It's not about "toying" with anything at all. It's about making important scientific progress, dumbo.

If anyone of you would bother reading up on LHC you would understand that a micro black hole will be completely harmless. M-theory and superstring theory is one of the few theories in physics that's actually interesting.

Why must we make this scientific progress? Time Travel perhaps? We already know the outcome of that by watching Back to the Future. Exactly how would a micro black hole be harmless? Has it been done before to prove all would be ok?

Are you seriously comparing this to Back to the Future? Seriously?!

You obviously don't have any grip over how theoretical physics works, but I'll lay it out nice and easy for you anyways. A black hole created in LHC would radiate itself out before it would even start to acquire any mass. It's basic relativity theory. The microscopic black hole won't even be charged, so it too unstable to cause any harm at all. And yes, it has been done before. The universe is filled with black holes, smartass.

Now that we got that outta the way, I want you to take your bike (I know you don't trust cars, cause they're a part of scientific progress), and pedal your ass down to the local Wal-Mart. There I want you to buy a hammer. Yes, a hammer. Now, grab the hammer with your right hand, raise it real high up, and slam that son of a bitch on the top of you head.

Hopefully that would've hurt your brain to the point of you never, ever post here again. That would at least make my day.

[LtVanish]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I don't think any of this is meant to be toyed with at all.

It's not about "toying" with anything at all. It's about making important scientific progress, dumbo.

If anyone of you would bother reading up on LHC you would understand that a micro black hole will be completely harmless. M-theory and superstring theory is one of the few theories in physics that's actually interesting.

Why must we make this scientific progress? Time Travel perhaps? We already know the outcome of that by watching Back to the Future. Exactly how would a micro black hole be harmless? Has it been done before to prove all would be ok?

Are you seriously comparing this to Back to the Future? Seriously?!

You obviously don't have any grip over how theoretical physics works, but I'll lay it out nice and easy for you anyways. A black hole created in LHC would radiate itself out before it would even start to acquire any mass. It's basic relativity theory. The microscopic black hole won't even be charged, so it too unstable to cause any harm at all. And yes, it has been done before. The universe is filled with black holes, smartass.

Now that we got that outta the way, I want you to take your bike (I know you don't trust cars, cause they're a part of scientific progress), and pedal your ass down to the local Wal-Mart. There I want you to buy a hammer. Yes, a hammer. Now, grab the hammer with your right hand, raise it real high up, and slam that son of a bitch on the top of you head.

Hopefully that would've hurt your brain to the point of you never, ever post here again. That would at least make my day.

You know nothing about physics pal I know a copy and paste when I see one. Do you understand how much electricity this thing uses, talking about a waste of resourses, can't they build one that is more energy effective? As for Walmart I'll be heading down there today actually for some of their unbelievable prices on frozen fish sticks. You can not get enough of a good thing. The hammer comment was not very nice, why would you wish a head ache on anyone.

[parfait]

All the LHC experiments are truly fascinating...but I think that humans are impatient. They're playing with a "fire" that they don't know much about.

"We are now on the verge of being able to detect signals from the eleventh dimension—signals from hyperspace. In the eleventh dimension, these four forces just melt together into one gorgeous theory that—if understood and proven—will allow us to “read the mind of God.”

I think humanity is still way too "young" to attempt unfolding the 11th dimension, let alone read God's mind. With what? Our limited human brains?
But it's admirable that these people are working so hard to see past current knowledge...I just hope they are smart enough to take baby steps.

I wish they would invest more funds into finding a cure for cancer rather than shooting protons through hallways. Just sayin'.

I think you hit the nail on the head, I don't think any of this is meant to be toyed with at all.

It's not about "toying" with anything at all. It's about making important scientific progress, dumbo.

If anyone of you would bother reading up on LHC you would understand that a micro black hole will be completely harmless. M-theory and superstring theory is one of the few theories in physics that's actually interesting.

Why must we make this scientific progress? Time Travel perhaps? We already know the outcome of that by watching Back to the Future. Exactly how would a micro black hole be harmless? Has it been done before to prove all would be ok?

Are you seriously comparing this to Back to the Future? Seriously?!

You obviously don't have any grip over how theoretical physics works, but I'll lay it out nice and easy for you anyways. A black hole created in LHC would radiate itself out before it would even start to acquire any mass. It's basic relativity theory. The microscopic black hole won't even be charged, so it too unstable to cause any harm at all. And yes, it has been done before. The universe is filled with black holes, smartass.

Now that we got that outta the way, I want you to take your bike (I know you don't trust cars, cause they're a part of scientific progress), and pedal your ass down to the local Wal-Mart. There I want you to buy a hammer. Yes, a hammer. Now, grab the hammer with your right hand, raise it real high up, and slam that son of a bitch on the top of you head.

Hopefully that would've hurt your brain to the point of you never, ever post here again. That would at least make my day.

You know nothing about physics pal I know a copy and paste when I see one. Do you understand how much electricity this thing uses, talking about a waste of resourses, can't they build one that is more energy effective? As for Walmart I'll be heading down there today actually for some of their unbelievable prices on frozen fish sticks. You can not get enough of a good thing. The hammer comment was not very nice, why would you wish a head ache on anyone.

I truly wonder why you're even born. You're clearly a retard, you got to be one after the "RAHOF" (retarded asshat's hall of fame) comments you just made. And it wasn't a copy and paste. I'll be surprised if you manage to wipe your ass, without having to shower afterwards.

[*Laura]

LOL... This thread is beginning to slip into a black hole. Maybe instead of reading the mind of God, scientists should start reading MR.

[Peartree12249]

Yes this thread is rapidly being sucked into a vortex beyond our comprehension. I can see it circling the bowl now!

[LtVanish]

I truly wonder why you're even born. You're clearly a retard, you got to be one after the "RAHOF" (retarded asshat's hall of fame) comments you just made. And it wasn't a copy and paste. I'll be surprised if you manage to wipe your ass, without having to shower afterwards.

I often shit and a real shower to follow, of course it is not the kind of showers you enjoy PeePee :lol

[Don]

I'm not too worried about Scientists doing anything haphazardly when it comes to these experiments. Now, if there where politicians or worse yet, the church involved here, I might have some concerns. It's only human nature to learn and wonder. Without it, we'd be no better than animals. When you become afraid of stepping on the toes of god by what you have the ability to uncover, then you do a disservice to all the scientists who came before you with a quest of creating a better world.
Our creator or what ever it is that brought us into being gave us this great brain to use. Aren't we failing him/it and ourselves if we don't use it to its greatest potential?

[Saint John]

Why must we make this scientific progress? Time Travel perhaps? We already know the outcome of that by watching Back to the Future.

Easily one of the 10 funniest lines ever posted on this site.