New Physics Discovery

[eytonxav]

Recent subatomic particle discovery may lead to new physics regarding matter and anti matter that might better be able to explain how the universe came together:
https://www.space.com/antimatter-ma...1iHt-pZ1xVOS4NxMDmxPP5D8QsDH662OEhokhROw_Y-Ew

 

[LOL!]

I have to laugh at this. I actually worked in high energy physics as a research scientist. While I think research is a deserving endeavor, please let's not kid ourselves. There is very little benefit to humankind coming from these folks. It will not matter one iota if they discover anything.

To be fair, I will state that one benefit from the LHC is some very fancy X-ray detectors which will make medical X-rays (dental, broken bones, CT scans, etc) require far less radiation exposure to patients.

 

[eytonxav]

I have to laugh at this. I actually worked in high energy physics as a research scientist. While I think research is a deserving endeavor, please let's not kid ourselves. There is very little benefit to humankind coming from these folks. It will not matter one iota if they discover anything.

To be fair, I will state that one benefit from the LHC is some very fancy X-ray detectors which will make medical X-rays (dental, broken bones, CT scans, etc) require far less radiation exposure to patients.

Over the centuries, I'm sure there have been many who scoffed at what future benefits might come from new research. But just based on developments I've seen in my own lifetime, it would be hard for me to unequivocally state nothing of significance will result from this area of physics research, but heck I am no physicist.

 

[gerntz]

I wish Sheldon would chime in.

 

[Sojourner]

I have to laugh at this. I actually worked in high energy physics as a research scientist. While I think research is a deserving endeavor, please let's not kid ourselves. There is very little benefit to humankind coming from these folks.

So every single thing being studied by research scientists around the world has to result in a tangible, practical benefit for humans in order to make it worthwhile? It's not enough to simply want to discover more about the fundamental nature of the world we live in, what makes it tick, exactly how it works, etc.?

It will not matter one iota if they discover anything.

Matter to whom? It matters to me, and to millions of other people who are deeply interested in "impractical" subjects like the origin of the cosmos. If I could choose between the LHC answering some huge, long-standing questions in physics (like what is the nature of dark matter, and do supersymmetric particles exist) versus gaining some incremental improvements in some technology or other, I would always chose the former. IMHO, trying to answer the "big" questions about our universe is one of the most worthwhile things we can do as humans.

 

[Mdlerth]

Putting our money where our mouth is

If I could choose between the LHC answering some huge, long-standing questions in physics (like what is the nature of dark matter, and do supersymmetric particles exist) versus gaining some incremental improvements in some technology or other, I would always chose the former.

We spend way more on potato chips ($7.5B per year)

https://www.freshplaza.com/article/2165058/americans-spent-7-5-bln-on-potato-chips-in-2015/

than we do on Higgs bosons ($1B per year)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/07/05/how-much-does-it-cost-to-find-a-higgs-boson/

Someday space aliens from an advanced civilization will arrive on Earth and laugh their space butts off at us.