Today scientists at CERN flipped the switch on the Large Hadron Collider in an attempt to create mass from energy. I won't even pretend to have a clue about the mathematics that goes into this experiment, but I will say that ever since I learned the equation E=MC2 I've been fascinated by the thought of turning energy into mass.
They are searching for the Higgs Boson, also called the "God Particle." It's theorized that the Higgs Boson is the piece that solves the puzzle of how mass was first created.
Here's some information on the Higgs Boson , courtesy of Wilipedia. Here's a really cute rap video which explains the LHC.
Questions regarding the wisdom of this nearly $4 Billion experiment have included concern that the LHC could produce a black-hole capable of consuming the entire earth.
Ouch!
Relax, CERN folk have done the math and the chances of this happen are nano-of-a-nano slim and, even if they did manage to generate a black hole, it would be so unstable that it would only be a "blip" and gone. Them's layman's words.
I can't remember where, when or whether it was a dream, but I have a vague memory of hearing that, mathematically, at least, if one were to fall into a black hole it would appear to an observer that the observed would be pulled, stretched and break apart as he was pulled through the hole. However, from the victim's perspective, it would seem that nothing had changed.
Again, I'll have to research that for a better explanation or to determine if I simply made-up that part.
At any rate, think of the opportunities to use the LHC as a scapegoat. Lost your keys? Blame it on a little black hole. Computer crash? Must be the LHC! Obama in the White House? Hmmm.