Particles

The first proton beam has circulated around the Large Hadron Collider. The world has not come to an end, et cetera et cetera.

While a few of those concerns had been raised by other scientists (a few of them outside of mainstream science), I often get this sense that they're taking advantage of the tendency of science not to rule out even the most outlandish theoretical possibilities if there's even the slightest uncertainty. Ordinary people read of this, of the possibility of calamity, and many seem to come away assuming the worst.

I was reminded of something James Burke said at the end of Connections, hat individuals have within themselves the ability to understand anything, as long as it's explained clearly enough. Trouble is, of course, these are complex, perhaps even abstract concepts, and difficult to explain clearly. I doubt most people even care to ask for explanations.