test-tube-baby asked: Back a year ago or so, I was hearing all sorts of scary things about the Large Hadron Collider, like it could create a black hole and destroy everything as we know it if something goes wrong. What exactly is this thing, and is it really that dangerous? This question popped in my head when you mentioned it in an answer to somebody else; sorry if it's not space related at all!
Teehee! The LHC is slamming protons together at high speeds, very close to the speed of light. Some scientists have hypothesised that this could create microscopic black holes, which would evaporate almost instantly because their mass is so low. This revelation, along with some other poorly-worded descriptions of the goings-on at CERN, was misinterpreted by media and the public. There’s nothing to worry about! It’s all just a misunderstanding. The LHC is doing great work for us, and will hopefully lead to some answers to important questions like “How did matter arise?” and “What is mass?”
