Universe 'Could Condense Into Jelly'

BBC ^ | 9-6-2001 | Helen Briggs

[blam]

Thursday, 6 September, 2001, 10:39 GMT 11:39 UK

Universe 'could condense into jelly'

By BBC News Online's Helen Briggs
The Universe may be in a state where matter could disintegrate at any moment, a scientist has warned.

But the probability is less than that of buying two lottery tickets in the same week that both win the lottery, said Dr Benjamin Allanach of the European laboratory for particle physics, CERN, in Geneva.

"The fact that the Universe has existed for 15 billion years should tell you it's not likely to happen tomorrow," he told the British Association Festival of Science in Glasgow. "The probability of it happening is tiny."

The idea behind such a catastrophic possibility is supersymmetry. This theory of the Universe states that every particle that makes up matter has a heavier ghostly partner that has similar but not identical properties.

If true, current data implies that the Universe must be perched on an unstable vacuum and "could suddenly condense into jelly and cause this catastrophe", said Dr Allanach.

Ghostly particle

The danger is that a jelly of the ghostly partner of the quark could form spontaneously at any moment, changing the laws of physics of the whole Universe.

Light would stop shining, electricity would no longer work and the matter that makes up us, the Earth and the stars would disintegrate to form a different kind of matter, said Dr Allanach.

This disaster scenario caused some initial nightmares, he said. But further calculations showed that the probability of it actually happening was miniscule, even in a time as long as the age of our Universe.

The actual probability is one in 13 million squared, he said.

[blam]

Geez....and I've been worried about comet and meteor impacts. (We're all gonna die!)

[KC Burke]

Actually, I thought it was supposed to be Cheese instead of Jam.

[TN4Liberty]

"The fact that the Universe has existed for 15 billion years should tell you it's not likely to happen tomorrow,"

All the more reason to be afraid... How much longer can our luck hold out?

[DoughtyOne]

Dang it, I was hoping for cruchy peanutbutter.

[Frohickey]

I'll have a peanut butter and universe jelly sandwitch for lunch today, please. ;)

[Redcloak]

That's because green jam would be disgusting. (Green jelly, on the other hand, would not.)

[scouse]

Light would stop shining, electricity would no longer work

Does that mean that the universe is turning into California?

[gcruse]

Scientists Say Universe Collapsing
                Thousands flee cities.

[blam]

Sell you jelly stock, hurry!

[jonno]

Reminds me of Bill Cosby's comments on senility; "...my grandfather told me not to worry about senility - if you get it, you won't know it..."

[Focault's Pendulum]

Scientists Say Universe Collapsing Thousands flee cities.

ROFL....very loudly!!!

[Ramius]

And the headline would be:

UNIVERSE ENDS! WOMEN AND MINORITIES HARDEST HIT!

[Storm Orphan]

Never fear! Captain ToeJam will save the universe!

[RightOnline]

Dang. We're all just so much unfinished jelly. Crap.

[Ramius]

Hmm... the universe ending would be particularly ironic for you, Mr. Focault... having just now finally gotten logged on. Sort of God's way of saying: "Psych!!!"

[KC Burke]

Good start but I like:

REPUBLICANS DOING NOTHING AS UNIVERSE ENDS! WOMEN AND MINORITIES HARDEST HIT!

[VadeRetro]

Scientists Say Universe Collapsing

"Poor and minorities to suffer most." -- Washington Post

[Ramius]

Ah yes... good edit.

[VadeRetro]

OK, you beat me that time! :(

[LJLucido]

every particle that makes up matter has a heavier ghostly partner

Here's proof: