From the Wall Street Journal:
CERN Is Seeking Secrets of the Universe, or Maybe Opening the Portals of Hell
GENEVA—The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, is gearing up for another run at smashing particles together to unlock the secrets of the universe.
That means anticipating a new round of conspiracy theories that its real aim is to blast open a gateway for apocalyptic demons.
Never mind that a few years ago, CERN scientists discovered a particle crucial to the understanding of physical matter. Many Internet commenters want to talk about how CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile subterranean loop that smashes particles at nearly the speed of light, may breach another dimension and unleash the forces of darkness.
One commenter fretted about how best to confront them: “Do we buy guns and ammo?”
Others zeroed in on the statue of Shiva, a Hindu god of destruction, on CERN’s Geneva campus—it might have caused last year’s deadly earthquake in Nepal, one blogger thought. Also, what about the CERN logo that looks a lot like the 666 sign of the Antichrist?
“We Should be Very Scared About CERN,” read the headline of an opinion piece published by The Daily Reporter, in Coldwater, Mich., that suggested the organization could “destroy our universe.”
Last summer, Internet chatter about CERN’s role in hastening doomsday spiked. “It got to the point where there really needed to be some intervention,” said Kate Kahle, who oversees social media at CERN.HT: FT Alphaville's Further Reading post.
In September, CERN quietly posted the sort of frequently asked questions page many organizations publish. But this one had a unique working title: “Surreal FAQ.”
In its deadpan rejoinders, CERN said its activities won’t open a door to another dimension; Shiva, a gift from the Indian government, also represents the life force, and we have lots of statues; our logo is meant to represent particle accelerators—not Satan....MORE
Most recently in our CERN coverage:
After Turning Large Hadron Collider Up To 11, CERN May Have found A New Particle, End of the World Puts Trade Sideways
Where In the World Is Izabella Kaminska: Conservation of Energy Edition
She's in Switzerland!
And as Switzerland's CERN teaches us, when matter and anti-matter collide the result, due to conservation of mass energy, will be the annihilation of both but with an asymmetry favoring residual matter in the resulting hadron cascade.
Anyhoo, here's one of Ms Kaminska's tweets which you can blame for my ramble:...
And from the Deities beat:
What's Moooving: Cows as Safe Assets
Can Hindu Deities Open Brokerage Accounts Allowing them to Trade Securities?
UPDATE: Bombay High Court Rules Hindu Deities MAY NOT Trade Securities
