The Large Hadron Collider, a massive particle detector, in its cavern below France.
Cern physicists believe they are close to crucial discoveries about the universe.FOR TOO MANY, SCIENCE IS AN INTELLECTUAL BLACK HOLE
The commissioning of the world's greatest atom smasher next week ought to be a cause for celebration. The giant US$8 billion Large Hadron Collider（大型強子對撞器）, much delayed and way over-budget, promises to unlock the most fundamental secrets of the universe, such as what gives matter its mass（質量的來由是甚麽？）, how gravity emerges and why so-called dark matter pervades the universe. If everything works as planned, humankind will reach a much deeper understanding of why the universe is the way it is（宇宙的起源為何？）.
Yet the experiment has been greeted with anxiety in many quarters. Scientists who work on the 20-nation project have received death threats. In the US and Europe, lawsuits have been filed against CERN（核子研究中心）, the European centre for particle physics that is running the collider, to stop it commissioning the collider.
The reason for the anxiety is that by colliding beams of particles called protons（超級粒子撞擊實驗）, the giant underground machine on the French-Swiss border will create "big bang" conditions similar to the dawn of the unuverse.
This means tiny black holes may be created. After repeat studies, scientists conclude the holes will disappear almost as soon as they appear, but some people around the world are not convinced. Many are worried there is a very slight but real chance the black holes will suck in the entire world.
In fact, no amount of scientific study can assure an increasingly sceptical public. Modern science and its many triumphs inspire unrealistic hopes and fears. Its language is mathematics, which is complex and difficult to understand, and many busy scientists do not bother to explain their work. Their research is often expensive but without immediate benefits. Genetically modified food has been described as Frankenfood; some people worry nanotechnology will create tiny self-replicating robots and turn the Earth into grey goo.
The fuss about the collider shows a gulf still separates the public from the scientific elite. Scientists, especially those who are publicly funded, need to do a better job of explaining their work. Without proper public understanding and support, they cannot hope to advance the cause and the frontiers of science.
The commissioning of the world's greatest atom smasher next week ought to be a cause for celebration. The giant US$8 billion Large Hadron Collider（大型強子對撞器）, much delayed and way over-budget, promises to unlock the most fundamental secrets of the universe, such as what gives matter its mass（質量的來由是甚麽？）, how gravity emerges and why so-called dark matter pervades the universe. If everything works as planned, humankind will reach a much deeper understanding of why the universe is the way it is（宇宙的起源為何？）.
Yet the experiment has been greeted with anxiety in many quarters. Scientists who work on the 20-nation project have received death threats. In the US and Europe, lawsuits have been filed against CERN（核子研究中心）, the European centre for particle physics that is running the collider, to stop it commissioning the collider.
The reason for the anxiety is that by colliding beams of particles called protons（超級粒子撞擊實驗）, the giant underground machine on the French-Swiss border will create "big bang" conditions similar to the dawn of the unuverse.
This means tiny black holes may be created. After repeat studies, scientists conclude the holes will disappear almost as soon as they appear, but some people around the world are not convinced. Many are worried there is a very slight but real chance the black holes will suck in the entire world.
In fact, no amount of scientific study can assure an increasingly sceptical public. Modern science and its many triumphs inspire unrealistic hopes and fears. Its language is mathematics, which is complex and difficult to understand, and many busy scientists do not bother to explain their work. Their research is often expensive but without immediate benefits. Genetically modified food has been described as Frankenfood; some people worry nanotechnology will create tiny self-replicating robots and turn the Earth into grey goo.
The fuss about the collider shows a gulf still separates the public from the scientific elite. Scientists, especially those who are publicly funded, need to do a better job of explaining their work. Without proper public understanding and support, they cannot hope to advance the cause and the frontiers of science.
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