In case you did not hear: the Large Hadron Collider at CERN went online this week.
I know, so what has this got to do with anything? Or maybe what is a Large Hadron Collider? And what is a CERN? For the short answer, and the long one for that matter I recommend checking out the CERN website at: http://public.web.cern.ch/public/ The site does a much better job explaining themselves than I will ever do.
What is important about
the LHC coming online is that it has been 20+ years in development and they are hoping for great things. They hope to recreate in a comparatively small way the conditions that existed a billionth of a second after the big bang in hopes of discovering more about our universe. They are also looking for something called the Higgs Boson, or the God Particle. What’s so big a deal about it? Well, as I understand it they think it will explain why things have mass.
As you might guess, we’re talking particle physics here. You may be thinking so what. Physics and the things that happen in that field have no real impact on my life. They don’t put food on my table or gas in my car or things like that. That would be where you are wrong. Quantum Physics and the amazing discoveries in that field have very much to do with our world. Were it not for quantum physics you would not be reading this article. The likelihood of you having a computer or I having a computer without quantum physics, well, I’m not a mathematician, or a statistician, or even an actuary, I really can’t give you specifics. Suffice to say very unlikely and we’ll call it good.
It is through the incredible discoveries and break-throughs in quantum physics that have allowed for much of the innovation we have experienced in the last 50 years. They have led to discoveries in the bio-sciences, chemistry, the innovations in technology through miniaturization, and accessibility of technology. Remember how cumbersome the first cell phones were? Mine fits in my pocket. And GPS. Something that required systems that only large corporations, governments, or universities had the ability to exploit. Have you used a GPS device recently? Are you a fan or participant of the past time that has evolved from the existence of these devices? And computers. They used to take up rooms and rooms of space. I’m writing this on one that fits on my lap.
These are just a few of the things that have been advanced due to particle and quantum physics in the past and they demonstrate why this new collider coming online, it’s 17 miles in circumference, is so important. Think of what we may find in the next 20 years. Think of the possibilities in all areas of our lives. What might they discover that leads to something that helps with global warming, or with building better structures for hurricane prone areas or allows for better food production or even helps to eradicate some diseases. Think of the jobs it may lead to. Industries that we work in today will evolve into something new, some will fade to make room for new ones. This is only the beginning of life in a new era.
Ok, so is the LHC coming online enough to make me excited and optimistic about the future? Well, yes it would be. However; I found another thing this week that boosts that excitement because it is just more evidence of the incredible things to come.
I read an article this week published in the Wired Magazine online edition. It was about how biologists and chemists have created a proto life. They are working to make it self replicating, and then to be self replicating without that little nudge that is currently required. I may have some of those details a little confused. Check out Wired Magazine online to get a better understanding. The progress made in that area is just phenominal when you think about it.
Self replicating nano size entities may be exactly what we need when we move out farther into the Universe and find ourselves in need of terraforming a planet. Lets face it, we are going to overpopulate this planet and at the moment we are quickly on the road to making it uninhabitable so we will need to find someplace else to live. We will need to make hospitable climates on other planets and it will take time. If we have microscopic or nano sized entities that can do the work for us and replicate themselves so we only need a small colony to get started much the better.
Yes, there are down sides to this idea. Everything has its pros and cons and we will debate them all the way to the ends of the Universe. At lease I hope we will. These things should not be left to those who just want to see what they can do or to only those in power. These will be things that will affect us all and we will all need to have an understanding of them. We need to be educated and concerned global citizens so that as then amazing things to come are realized, we will be able to make informed decisions about their usefulness vs. their dangers. And debate them not on our fear of loosing what we have but on their real merits and possibilities, good and bad.
We must embrace with excitement and wonder what is to come though not blindly. We must also be informed.
I am so excited about what we may see come in the next 20 or so years. It’s thrilling to sit here and think of the possibilities.
Originally published at: suguayproductions.com/joomla which has been discontinued.
