LHC Episode

Last month was a watershed event indeed in the world of science, with the LHC experiment at CERN. Now, while the grandiose experiment with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN drew strident criticisms for having squandered huge funds to patronize scientific broodings, my take has been that there are certain path-breaking ventures that need to be invested in to push the frontiers in Science.

If we study the purport of this experiment involving this gigantic scientific instrument called LHC -- which was to accelerate two beams of subatomic particles called 'hadrons' – comprising protons or lead ions – inside the circular accelerator at cosmic speeds and then colliding them head-on at very high energy to recreate the conditions at the point of our planet's origin -- we'll immediately be able to associate with the massive benefit accruals ... Imagine the huge insights we would have derived had the experiment turned successful and the consequent impact on key Global issues - arriving at a long-term solution for the Global Energy crisis, as an example, or Global warming, for that matter.

And consider the by-products of this collision - new subatomic particles - that could have been researched for key insights in driving fresh innovations in a wide range of technological areas - nanotechnology, radiology, particle physics - you name it.

And lastly, aren't these experiments eons better than the mammoth funding that goes astray worldwide in devising military hardware and weapons of mass destruction?