TOP 100 SCIENCE SITES
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| Fear and the Large Hadron Collider | Euclides Montes From as far back as discovery of fire, science has made us anxious. We must harness fear's power, not be consumed by itNo sooner was it announced that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern) was ready to be fired up again, than the buzz of apprehension about its associated dangers had started rippling through the net once more like little whispers on the wind.But why are so many so scared of what scientists expect to be one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs of the decade? After all, this is an experiment that can give us an insight into the very nature of what the universe itself is made. A question we've been asking ourselves since the beginning of time. Yet, for every mention of Hawking radiation and Higgs boson particles you'll find two people prophesying dimensional rips and world-destroying black holes. Otherwise known as apocalypse. But is the fear justified? Scientists have assured us that the chances of a world-threatening scenario radiating outward from Switzerland on Friday are not only minimal, but beyond all reasonable doubt, thanks to years of research, testing and planning. So, I ask again, why so much fear?I feel the answer actually transcends Cern and its underground experiment, and goes all the way to the heart of the relationship that humans have had with science throughout the ages. Make no mistake, it is truly a love affair of Shakespearian proportions. Fire dragged us down from the trees but it then shone a light into the unknown, and so the fear was born.Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised at the renewed calls for greater caution over the LHC. Fear has always been a travel companion of scientific progress. Daguerreotypes were met with deep suspicion when first introduced. Even now in the age of Flickr and smartphones, there are those who still fear the soul-snatching power of a photograph.This deep-rooted fear of what lies just beyond us – both physically and intellectually – has characterised humanity's thirst for knowledge as well as its reaction to the advancements the quest has brought with it.But while it is important to acknowledge "fear" as an important part of scientific progress, left unchecked it can be a dangerous thing. Let's not forget that just last week Nasa had to reassure a large proportion of a very scared American population that in spite of the clever ad campaign for Roland Emmerich's latest blockbuster, 2012 will most likely be just another year (and not the end of the world).And this is the crux of the matter: the more the world around us is explained and understood in scientific terms, the more questions we unearth. Science doesn't know all the answers and many fear that in its desire to find them, science itself might end up being a dangerous thing. "Playing god" is a common accusation levelled at scientists. But I don't believe this is a position we should take. It is our ingenuity in finding the answers to the questions that perplex us that distinguishes us from animals. Giving in to the fear and asking of science to stop going forward would be to fight against the very thing that made us human in the first place.So rather than being consumed by the fear, we should instead be using it to spur us on in our search for knowledge and I, for one, will be eagerly following the events on Friday. I hope LHC kicks off with a bang … a big bang.Particle physicsPhysicsCernEuclides Montesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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