This is not the most comforting news coming out this week: The New York Times is reporting that there are problems over at the Large Hadron Collider. I’m not going to pretend I have a firm grasp on what the LHC is even supposed to do, but we can probably all agree that an enormous $9-billion subatomic particle collider is not the kind of thing we want to hear bad news about. Will it swallow the universe whole after all?Probably not; they haven’t actually collided any particles yet. The problems are far more prosaic. “Many of the magnets meant to whiz high-energy subatomic particles around a 17-mile underground racetrack have mysteriously lost their ability to operate at high energies,” reports the Times. There have been other glitches, too. Some scientists are defecting; other say we should all be patient-it’s not like they can whip up proof that other dimensions exist over night.You can read about recent goings on here, or our previous coverage of the LHC here.
Tags
advertisement
More for You
-
14 images of badass women who destroyed stereotypes and inspired future generations
These trailblazers redefined what a woman could be.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
-
Why mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories
Mass shootings and conspiracy theories have a long history.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
Pointing to some nefarious plan by a powerful group – such as the government – can be more comforting than the idea that the attack was the result of a disturbed or mentally ill individual who obtained a firearm legally.
advertisement

