SydLexia.com - The Forums :: View topic - Science finds yet another way to kill us all

Gallery 2 · Posted: Apr 28 2011 12:55 pm

New laser will be powerful enough to rip apart space itself

Quote:

The European Commission has approved the construction of three gigantic new research lasers, with the option for a fourth that would, for an instant, be several hundred times more powerful than the entirety of the power generated by our civilization. The hope is that this will be enough energy to actually conjure virtual particles out of nothingness.

...

The point of all this is to try to explore some of the weirdness of quantum mechanics, which suggests that space is actually a giant party of random particles that are popping in and out of existence too fast for us to see. The hope is that a laser this powerful might actually be able to tear apart the vacuum of space-time itself, revealing the matter and antimatter underneath.

What could go wrong? After all, it's just a LASER that can RIP open a HOLE in SPACE!

Posted: Apr 28 2011 12:58 pm

I like the sound of that "antimatter", sounds safe.

Joined: Jun 29 2010 Posts: 1818

Wow, some people seem dead set on having the world end by 2012 -_-

Posted: Apr 28 2011 01:00 pm

This sounds like the greatest idea ever, not like something that could possibly kill all mankind.

Tearing holes in Space-Time always seemed like a smart and well thought out plan.

Posted: Apr 28 2011 01:10 pm

Very interesting. I'm not well educated with quantum physics but this sounds revolutionary.

Posted: Apr 28 2011 01:18 pm

i'll_bite_your_ear wrote:

Very interesting. I'm not well educated with quantum physics but this sounds revolutionary.

99% of quantum physics is pure speculation. I would prefer not having them test that by using a large-scale laser to rip apart the fabric of the universe. My thirst for knowledge is slaked easier than that.

Posted: Apr 28 2011 01:38 pm

This reminds me of the episode of Squidbillies where a scientist wants to build a particle collider in Dougall County for the scientific reasons but Dan Halen agrees to it just to dispose of dead hookers in the resulting black hole...

Joined: Jun 29 2010 Posts: 1818

Your Laser is the Laser that shall pierce the heavens!

Joined: Jun 08 2010 Location: Termina Field Posts: 1541

Yeah, I think this is totally safe. No way is this going to fuck shit up, but I have one question about what they want to do with this:

WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING?

I know people want to know more about the universe we live in, but if you have to potentially destroy said universe, is it really worth it?

Posted: Apr 28 2011 06:29 pm

Given a bit more reflection on the situation, we're stuck with a quandry, and a pretty big one. If this is even conceivable, given the economic state of the world at the moment, when it's finished, it could feasibly provide humanity with a giant leap forward in scientific knowledge. There were fears that the atomic reaction at Los Alamo would go on perpetually and destroy the whole Earth, or that CERN would create a black hole and swallow shit up. Given the popular theory that when matter and antimatter releases a tremendous amount of energy on contact, if you could use it to extract antimatter, you could potentially have a tremendously advanced power source, possibly enough to do things like enable FTL travel. Or, you could have a ridiculously powerful fucking weapon that could potentially obliterate a city with a phenomenal burst. I think, as with any avenue of science, what'll be important about this is what (if we're able to do anything) we'll do with it. Hopefully the people funding this shit think about that, if it even materializes.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

What Aeonic said, really. But that having been said, it's unbelievable how giddy I am at this news. Maybe I'm insane, but I have absolutely no fear of being swallowed by some sort of weird disaster from this. I think it's cool.

That, and the possibility of a resonance-cascade-like effect from Half Life is too tantalizing to pass up.

Once again, I'm bat shit crazy.

Joined: Apr 09 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3112

Drew Linky wrote:

That, and the possibility of a resonance-cascade-like effect from Half Life is too tantalizing to pass up.

I see the possibility of cruising around in a souped-up Dodge Charger with a hot chick and an eight-foot-tall robot-dog as only a good thing. Fire away, Laser-boys.

Posted: Apr 28 2011 08:54 pm

I always said the pursuit of knowledge is going to end up killing us all....

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

Derpalicious wrote:

I always said the pursuit of knowledge is going to end up killing us all....

Better than death by being a total dumb ass.

Posted: Apr 28 2011 09:50 pm

Lets say it the Yoda way (intentionally altered):
Misunderstanding leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate, Hate leads to Violence, Violence leads to War. Knowledge frees from Misunderstanding and is therefore the way to Peace on Earth.

Joined: Oct 01 2009 Posts: 5316

I'd like to know how it's possible to rip a hole into space itself. I'm not that well off into quantum physics either, but come on.Seems like a bunch of money to build something that'll probably end up doing little to nothing at all. Yes, I know a lot of science is based on pure theory, but too much fucking theory and not enough scientific basis to throw millions of dollars at is not a good idea.

Posted: Apr 28 2011 10:49 pm

im w/Dodds. how did they come to the conclusion that it will rip a hole in space? im sure its all mathematical conjecture bla bla bla, but come on now. be reasonable.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

That's all true as well, but a lot of scientific theory has been used to produce stuff we know works for a fact, as well. If I'm not mistaken, things like TV and lasers wouldn't exist in the first place if we had taken the time to find a way to prove scientific theories in full before moving on.

That having been said, so much relies on pure theory and conjecture that if we manage to disprove one of the more basic theories--say, for instance, we disprove something as fundamental as gravity, god forbid--then it's going to fuck us over for a loop.

Joined: Oct 01 2009 Posts: 5316

TVs and lasers were practical ideas that serve practical purposes and had a basis well beyond just a "what if" like we have here with deconstructing the universe for the hell of it.

Wizard Joined: Jun 12 2009 Posts: 4209

Doddsino wrote:

TVs and lasers were practical ideas that serve practical purposes and had a basis well beyond just a "what if" like we have here with deconstructing the universe for the hell of it.

Yes, but my point is everything has to start somewhere. TV used to be thought of as an impossibility, but look at us now.

I guess what I'm going for is that anything's possible. We don't know what's going to happen, so I think it's a bit soon for us to pass judgement just yet.

Joined: Jun 08 2010 Location: Termina Field Posts: 1541

Doddsino wrote:

TVs and lasers were practical ideas that serve practical purposes and had a basis well beyond just a "what if" like we have here with deconstructing the universe for the hell of it.

I agree. Also, the research that made those practical things possible also did not carry the risk of destroying the universe. This, however, does.

Posted: Apr 29 2011 12:07 am

Where the fuck stands written that this laser is in any way dangerous?
The article somehow indicates it with the last sentence but there is no reason given for that.
Just because some morons where whining about CERN lately doesn't mean that every greater scientific discovery brings risks with it.

Joined: Dec 06 2007 Location: Connecticut Posts: 11244

"The hope is that this will be enough energy to actually conjure virtual particles out of nothingness."

Demonic particles?!?!?

Posted: Apr 29 2011 11:51 am

Summon Greater Particles? Don't you need to be at least level 30 for that?

Alternately, we could have a Howard the Duck situation going on here. If you see any anthropomorphic waterfowl or Jeffrey Jones, cheese it!

Gallery 2 · Posted: Apr 29 2011 12:14 pm

It just dawned me:

This project must be funded by cult wanting to summon an eldritch abomination! Cthulhu's coming!! Cthulhu's coming!!! I NEED SCISSORS! 61!!1!1!1!11oneoneoneeleven

Ok, in all seriousness, I'm not against scientific advancement, but sometimes you have to wonder how much knowledge you need in order to be practical. That is, we have a shitload of problems on Earth that need solutions, and how exactly tearing space a new one is gonna help us? Prove the existence of renewable energy sources? Ok then, how are you gonna convince people of using said power? I mean, there's a reason there isn't a nuclear plant in every city in the planet. For that matter, how to prevent people of misusing it? We're talking about power that could erase countries stupidly easy.

Also, since again it goes by speculations, what if we don't get the desired results? What if said laser instead of using energy from nothung decides to gobble up all energy in the planet and fire it up ito space, plunging us into the Dark Ages? What if the laser doesn't quite work as intended and instead of ripping a hole in space it instead destroys anything in its path, marking the Earth as hostile from the point of view of more intelligent species, thus making an alien invasion the more justified? What if nothing happens at all and turns out all those millions were completely wasted?

In short, what's being questioned isn't the impossibility, but rather the practicality of the discoveries. Between this and the LHC, it seems the most it can be expected (if all works as properly) is bragging rights from the scientific community (i.e. "See!? I told you so! Who's crazy now, huh!?!"), and in the off case that we can get some practical use out of them, it's definitively not in our timeline. After all, the MP3 Player was concieved in the 70's, but it wasn't until late 90's when we got working models.