https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/on-t ... -explained
Europe's physics lab CERN is planning to build a particle-smasher even bigger than its Large Hadron Collider to continue searching for answers to some of the universe's tiniest yet most profound mysteries.
The Future Circular Collider (FCC) has not yet received a political green light or funding. Even if approved, the vast project would not start operations until the 2040s — or be completed until the end of the century.
CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which famously discovered the "God particle" Higgs boson and is currently the world's powerful particle accelerator, is expected to have run its course by the 2040s.
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The future collider would be more than three times this size, stretching around 91 kilometers, also under the two countries.
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A feasibility study is under way for the FCC, which CERN estimated earlier this year will cost around $17 billion (P973 billion).
OK ... here's question: What has the LHC accomplished? How has it benefited all those who paid for it? Can they name, for example, any device, procedure or invention benefiting us that was created using the physics the LHC discovered? What about the number one discovery that the LHC always boast about … the Higgs Boson? Forbes Magazine asked the question in 2012 “How much does it cost to find a Higgs Boson?”? Their answer was over $13 billion dollars ($20 billion today). Now you’d think that if there were any tangible benefits to taxpayers derived from CERNs activities, they'd be able to point to something from their primary boast, the LHC. Especially if they’re now trying to sell a bigger, better … much more expensive … accelerator. But here’s what CERN's website says about that …
https://home.cern/science/physics/higgs-boson/why
How does the Higgs boson impact everyday life?
On the surface, it may seem that the Higgs boson does not affect everyday life. Not directly, anyway: it is a short-lived particle that does not make up the matter we are made of and interact with, and can only be observed in the extreme conditions created in particle accelerators.
Hmmmm. That doesn’t sound encouraging and indeed the article next blathers about how “curiosity has fueled the advancement of science” and how that has revolutionized everyday life. Well that's true, but how has the LHC and in particular, the Higgs Boson, revolutionized our lives? And here's what CERN says next ...
because of the nature of science, we do not know to what extent discoveries made now will impact our future. In other words, it may only be a matter of time before the Higgs boson directly influences society.
In other words, they're admitting that the Higgs Boson hasn't benefited us so far. But obviously they want to keep us shelling out money, so CERN lists the World Wide Web (which they claim to have invented) and the advancement of touchscreen technology when they created a simple interface to one of their accelerators as accomplishments affecting everyday life as benefits we've gotten from supporting their work. But those accomplishments had nothing to do with any physics discovered by their accelerators and any big project might have led to them. Plus, they all occurred long before the LHC came along. So as far as Higgs Boson is concerned ... it's strike two.
But not giving up, CERN next boasts about their role in the development of PET scans, radiation monitoring, and protecting cultural heritage with particle physics detectors. But again, PET scans were invented in the 70’s, long before the LHC, and the other two relatively minor accomplishments were derived without the aid of the LHC too. Obviously they know that so the article concludes by saying there are plenty more benefits … that
new technologies are continuously being developed from particle accelerators such as the LHC, despite their primary goal of searching for particles like the Higgs boson. These all have benefits to many different areas of society and will only continue expanding as research advances.
But if the LHC had actually discovered any of them, don’t you think they would just have said so in this article instead of waving hands? In short, the LHC has made a lot of scientists and equipment manufacturers wealthy, and given supportive mainstream and science/technology media something to write about and make money with, but it hasn't accomplished anything tangible for those who paid the enormous prices for it and it’s studies. And if the best CERN can come up with is to claim it’s “only a matter time” before a use can be found for the Higgs Boson, then that’s CERN’s way of admitting they can’t say when that will be and their webpage is just hopium filled propaganda to keep the money flowing to them … to keep them employed. And I think that's the SOLE purpose of the FCC as well ... to keep them and their business associates lucratively employed for many more decades to come ... ON OUR DIME.
When are taxpayers going to turn off the spiget giving away their hard earned income to grifters in this and so many other areas?
Just saying …
