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]

Another headline......
Scientists Working On Micro-Black Hole, Create Jelly. (Justice department investigating racial remarks uttered when jelly appears.)

[Dan De Quille]

"UNIVERSE ENDS! WOMEN AND MINORITIES HARDEST HIT! "

ROFL!

[dirtboy]

Of course, Daschle will blame the Bush tax cut for depriving the government of the funds needed to combat this menace. Ted Kennedy will wonder if that process is already underway in his liver. And we'll all slap our heads and realize that we finally have an explanation for Hillary's thighs...

[Arthur McGowan]

miniscule

Even the English can't spell!

[RogueIsland]

Universe 'Could Condense Into Jelly'

Democrats Blame Bush, Cheney

Administration failed to enact anti-jelly legislation, Hillary Rodham Clinton spokesperson charges.

[staytrue]

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

I think this is a bad quote, I think it is two to the thirteen millionth power. Physicist do you know ?

[longshadow]

supersymmetry bump

[Storm Orphan]

Arthur Dent will be pleased there will be something to go with the final tea and crackers.

[dighton]

What flavor d'you like?

[buffyt]

But God is in control of HIS universe and that is good enough for me!

[VadeRetro]

At least, we won't starve with all that jelly around.

[Jay W]

Wouldn't this be a business opportunity for Smucker's, if that happened? ;-)

[longshadow]

I suppose the DNC's response will be to demand Congressional legislation requiring a 5-day waiting period before "jellyfication" can commence.

[Focault's Pendulum]

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!!!"

Irony is my middle name...and by the way...it's not Mr.....just plain Focault...the honorific would be far afield from deconstructionism.

And speaking of screen names..does the tenth month of the year carry any signifigance with you?

[headsonpikes]

Has anyone seen Schroedinger's cat...lately?

[Iris7]

I found the "13 million squared" interesting. This is 1.69 x 10^14. One chance in this number, they say, of the universe collapsing spontaneously. Per second? Year? Eon? they don't say.

No matter how unlikely, though, these odds are better than the one in 10^150 that Darwinism is true (see Bill Dembski and others). About 10^136, that is, one followed by 136 zeros times less likely, to be exact!

[gcruse]

Heh. That's the truth.

[Tuor]

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.

This possibility is much higher than that of the Universe having the properties it currently has, and *that* possibility is much higher than that of intelligent life arising anywhere in the Universe.

When compared to these possibilities, the chance that the Universe may desolve into nothing is frighteningly high.

We're all going to die.

Tuor

[Storm Orphan]

Has anyone seen Schroedinger's cat...lately?

Maybe. Maybe not.

[gcruse]

But God is in control of HIS universe
and that is good enough for me!

Why, bless your heart.  Heh.
Hi, buffyt !