Humans are capable of remarkable achievements. We are also compulsive explorers, relentlessly looking for remote hitherto un-chartered places. From earth, to space, and now the smallest of particles we can only imagine may exist. We simply can’t help ourselves. Doing so is at once altruistic and self centred. Those who are born discoverers, pursue fame and recognition (at least by a force of nature known as ‘Mom’) as much as they crave the high of a discovery. A vindication that their single minded pursuit sets them apart and that their discoveries, immortal. But the image of a lone explorer, a romantic visionary with an obsessed mind, is now being replaced with giant, collaborative projects. Those may still require a visionary, such as Craig Venter who lead a private team to map the human genome. They will lead, direct and be their public ‘face’. But more often breakthroughs require giant investments and an ant colony size team to pursue. LHC (Large Hadron Collider) is such a venture. A multinational conglomerate backed by billions of dollars, literally crossing the border separating two countries, and fueled by a multitude of minds.
But its the story that got spun in the media which provided this new human adventure its most poignant symbolism. So much so, that ‘turning on the switch’ at LHC was simply anti climactic. A titillating story of possible annihilation caused by a black hole, created in the bowels of its donut shaped accelerator where particles will travel close to the speed of light. Suddenly, both our hopes and fears were in perfect symmetry. Diametrically opposed. While scientists who glimpsed the possibilities wildly cheered, others were gripped by an archaic fear of the worst monsters science can create. A black drain sized hole who will suck life out of our universe, leaving little behind except for a faint ‘pop!’ sound no one will be around to hear. Or so they thought, and therefore pleaded with everyone on their speed dial to stop this insane experiment immediately. Cease and Desist!
One could say that it’s a legitimate concern. The creation of tiny black holes are a real and likely possibility. But scratch the surface and this theory was debunked. So no: this was not a logical concern. Just your run-of-the-mill, basic human fear of mad scientists and their machinations. What a perfect encapsulation. A mini-drama about our relationship with science and ‘progress’. And like a soap opera, this plot-line is resolved within a few episodes. Science wins. We conquer our worst fears. LHC is now a household name (well almost).
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