The End of the World As We Know It?

In case you haven't heard, the world may be ending this week. And, no, it has nothing to do with the anniversary of 9/11, the Middle East, or terrorists.

The source of the potential cataclysm--as the source of so many cataclysms often is (i.e., the atom bomb, weapons of mass destruction, etc.)--is Science. In this case, it's the "Large Hadron Collider," a device built by physicists and engineers to smash particles together and see what'll happen.

At best, they'll learn more about the universe and particle physics.

At worst, they'll create a black hole that will swallow the earth.

I would be a remiss blogger (to say the least), if I let this go by without doing my bit to educate y'all.

So here goes.

In answer to the obvious question--what the heck IS a particle collider?--I recommend this TED talk:


For a lighter view of what it's supposed to do, I recommend the Large Hadron Collider Rap:


And, finally, for the layperson's perspective, I give you Gail Collins: Digging Ourselves a Black Hole

Keep your fingers crossed people.