43 replies to this topic

[madshaun1984]

Its kinda scary, to think of what the implications of this experiment could be, but, at the same time, I cant help but think, the only way this could actually destroy the earth is if the idiots tried doing the expiriment right next to the earths core, for instance if you dropped a nuclear bomb into the earths core, every volcano on earth would become very active, but if you drop a bomb on the earths surface it just makes a big dent, (kinda like wrapping a firecracker in the palm of your hand and lighting it!!!) But all in all, what scares me most is the fact that they dont know what the result should be, its kinda like teaching a monkey how to light a fire, and then letting it off into the wild, but all said and done, I would be just as curious, and would probrably do the experiment without making it public, till after I had done the experiment, so as to avoid all this speculation,

Just my thoughts,

MadS,

[mazooma]

I think the first thing I'll do is cancel my pension.

[jamesb99_1999]

Grey goo
I have always personally been more worried about the grey goo theory - sounds very plausible to me and Prince Charles has told me to worry!!!

Nanotechnology


Grey goo is a hypothetical end-of-the-world scenario involving molecular nanotechnology in which out-of-control self-replicating robots consume all matter on Earth while building more of themselves—a scenario known as ecophagy (eating the environment).

The term grey goo is usually used in a science fiction or popular-press context. In the worst postulated scenarios (requiring large, space-capable machines), matter beyond Earth would also be turned into goo (with “goo” meaning a large mass of replicating nanomachines lacking large-scale structure, which may or may not actually appear goo-like). The disaster is posited to result from a deliberate doomsday device, or from an accidental mutation in a self-replicating nanomachine used for other purposes, but designed to operate in a natural environment.

Living goo

One convenient analogy for the grey goo problem is to consider bacteria as the most perfect example of biological nanotechnology. As they have not reduced the world to living goo, some consider it unlikely that some artificial construct will manage to do so with grey goo.

The cell is the archetypal nanomachine and in fact does have many of the properties ascribed to grey goo, particularly, the ability to transform unstructured materials into copies of the replicating agent. Hence, the cell is able to incorporate carbon dioxide, molecular nitrogen gas, and water into complex, multifunctional biomolecules, as well as incorporating solid materials such as hydroxyapatite, and other calcium and phosphorus containing compounds. While certainly not the ecocatastrophe posited by grey goo alarmists, the transformative and contaminative nature of cells is impressive. Earth would certainly be a different place without the appearance of the cell (the most impressive of which would be the lack of an atmosphere containing large amounts of oxygen), and the possibility of seeding and contaminating the rest of the Solar System with cells is a real consideration when planning space missions.

Even so, some people argue that living goo, or even a combination of nanotechnology and biotechnology to create organic replicators, is a more realistic threat than grey goo. Arguing that bacteria are ubiquitous and extraordinarily powerful, Bill Bryson (2003) says that the Earth is “their planet” and that we only exist on it because “they allow us to.” Margulis and Sagan (1995) go further, arguing that all organisms, having descended from bacteria, are in a sense bacteria. Many kinds of bacteria are in fact essential for human life and are found in large quantities in the human digestive tract, in a symbiotic relationship.

Thus a living goo could be a multicellular organism that obtains its raw materials to grow through ecophagy, and then grows through a process of exponential assembly such as cell division.[original research?]

A more literal biological analogy to grey goo are prions, which have been implicated in such diseases as kuru, Mad Cow disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and fatal familial insomnia. In all of these conditions, an abnormal protein possesses the ability to unfold and refold other normally functioning proteins into copies of itself. Prions are extraordinarily contagious and difficult to destroy, but their relatively sluggish rate of transformation has prevented them from successfully overrunning the biosphere.

[cardie]

what time does it happen at

[nails]

the end of everything as we know it...

barcrest not closing down?

[VampUK]

I doubt that there will be a big fizzle let alone bang.

[£6 In Tokens]

Nice knowing you all

:devil:

[RB]

Well are we all still here??

the webcam disappeared so maybe the end of the world was localised to just them....PMSL

[lincs1]

if the world doesn't end then the drinks are all on robinhood75

[ady]

This isn't the biggie though is it?...I thought today was just the switch-on.

At the moment as I understand it the particles are going in the same direction, the experiment was to collide them....thats in a couple of months time I believe.

In any case....should this be as unsafe as we are lead to believe theres no way on Earth (if it still exsisted lol) that at least ONE big name would stand up and say so well before the last few weeks.

Lets face it, this was started 20 years ago.....in all honesty who knew of its exsistance this time last year or actually even as soon as Six months ago?

[ady]

Livestation | Watch Special: Large Hadron Collider live from CERN English online on your PC | Download the free Livestation player

Different channel............they live!

**edit**...heres static images updated every 5 mins (in case of a problem lol)


http://cms-project-c...Seye/index.html




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Edited by adydb, 10 September 2008 - 02:56 PM.

[RB]

Different channel............they live!

Bugger.....

[Guitar]

At the moment as I understand it the particles are going in the same direction, the experiment was to collide them....thats in a couple of months time I believe.

According to radio 5 live its the 21st when they start the smashing.

[mazooma]

And to think I was going to bet £50 at 666,666-1 that the world would end. I was looking forward to pick up my winnings and spending them in the ...the ...the .........oh crap!


btw 21st October it goes full power.

[frig]

btw 21st October it goes full power.

Thats settled then...Im not paying any of my bills untill the 22nd.

[renoufchr]

lol and when u go to court about it say i was supposed to die on the 21st!