Elon Musk was the second person ever to amass a personal fortune of more than $200 billion,
breaching that threshold in January 2021, months after Jeff Bezos. The CEO of Tesla Inc. has now
set a new record by being the first person in history to have their net worth reduced by $200
billion. Musk's fortune has dropped to $137 billion as Tesla shares have fallen in recent
weeks. However, since taking over Twitter, tech billionaire and business magnate Elon Musk has
become something of an Internet sensation. He's been causing quite a stir on social media with his
eccentric conduct and some downright outrageous statements. The man has been provoking practically
anybody he can get his hands on, and this time he has challenged the European Organization for
Nuclear Research, also known as CERN. CERN is an intergovernmental organization that operates the
world's largest particle physics laboratory. It was founded in 1954 in a Northwestern
suburb of Geneva on the France-Switzerland border and currently has 23 member states.
CERN had 2660 scientific, technical, and administrative staff members in 2019,
and it now accommodates over 12400 employees from institutions in over 70 countries.
The organization's provisional council operated at the University of Copenhagen under the guidance of
Neils Bohr in the early years after its founding on September 29, 1954, before moving to its
current headquarters in Geneva. Sir Benjamin Lock Speiser was the first president of CERN,
while Edoardo Amaldi was the General Secretary. Initially dedicated to the study of atomic nuclei,
the laboratory was eventually applied to high energy physics. It was primarily
concerned with the study of interactions between subatomic particles, and since its inception,
the laboratory has made enormous contributions and accomplished a great deal in particle physics.
Some of its notable contributions include the discovery of neutral currents in the Gargamelle
Bubble Chamber, the discovery of w and z bosons in the UA1 and UA2 experiments, the number of light
neutrino families, the creation of the first anti-hydrogen atoms in the PS210 experiment,
the discovery of direct CP violation in the NA-48 experiment, and others. CERN attracted
international attention in September 2011 when the OPERA collaboration claimed the detection
of perhaps faster-than-light neutrinos, but subsequent tests revealed that the results were
inaccurate due to an incorrectly attached GPS synchronization cable. Carlo Rubbia and Simon
Van Der Meer were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 for their contributions to the
discovery of w and z bosons. In 1993, CERN staff researcher Georges Charpak was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Physics for his invention and development of particle detectors, particularly the multi-wire
proportional chamber. The most recent Nobel Prize in Physics to be bestowed upon CERN was given in
2013 to Francois Engler and Peter Higgs for their theoretical explanation of the Higgs mechanism.
This was in recognition of the fact that CERN experiments were responsible
for the discovery of the Higgs boson particle. It would be reasonable to say that CERN is one of
the most prestigious and advanced high-energy physics research organizations dedicated to
uncovering the mysteries of the universe. So, what exactly enticed Elon Musk to mock CERN?
At the moment, the SpaceX CEO is focusing on the revolutionary device that has altered our
perception of the universe. CERN's Large Hadron Collider, also known as the largest and greatest
energy particle collider LHC, was built between 1998 and 2008. More than 10,000 scientists,
hundreds of universities and laboratories, and more than 100 countries worked together to build
it. The collider is housed in a 27-kilometer-long tunnel that extends as deep as 165 meters beneath
the France-Switzerland border. The LHC achieved its maiden collisions in 2010 with an energy of
3.5 Tera electron volts per beam. This was over four times the previous world record, and with
enhancements, it reached 6.5 TEV per beam. The first run, which took place from 2010 and 2013,
had the LHC colliding with opposing particle beams of either protons at up to 4 TV or lead nuclei;
this was the run that eventually revealed the long-anticipated Higgs boson. During the
first run, several more composite particles were identified. Following the first operational run,
there was a lengthy hiatus that lasted between 2013 and 2015, following which the second
operational run was carried out. The collider was shut down again from 2018 and 2022 after
the second run to prepare for the extended third run. It reopened on April 22nd, 2022,
with a new maximum energy beam of 6.8 TEV, which was attained for the first time on April 25th.
The Run 3 officially began on July 5, 2022 and is projected to last until 2026. Scientists are
hoping that the LHC will reach a higher intensity during this run, which will be increased even
further with the upgrading to a high-luminance Large Hadron Collider following this run.
It is one of the world's most expensive scientific instruments, costing 7.5 billion euros to develop.
With four crossing points where accelerated particles collide and seven detectors designed
to detect distinct events, the LHC is ready to assist researchers in validating their predictions
of various particle physics theories. They are enthusiastic about measuring the Higgs boson's
characteristics, hunting for the large family of new particles promised by supersymmetric theories,
and answering other outstanding puzzles in the area. Elon Musk, on the other hand, appears to
disagree! Back in August, the tech tycoon sparked an internet frenzy by tweeting an apparently
humorous meme. The meme depicted a rising devil with the caption Please let me use the CERN Large
Hadron Collider. "I am normal and can be trusted with demonic technology unlike anything the world
has ever seen," the meme added. So, it appears that Musk believes that the world's largest and
most advanced particle accelerator is a demonic and evil technology. The timing of the Tweet
was highly deliberate, as it coincided with the start of the Third Run of the LHC. Elon tweeted
the meme exactly six weeks and six hours after the Large Hadron Collider was restarted. The collider
is on a quest to find Dark Matter by smashing atoms together with its cutting-edge particle
accelerator in the hopes of making a discovery that could revolutionize the world of particle
physics forever. According to CERN scientists, all of the stars, planets, and galaxies in the
universe account for only 5% of its matter. At first look, Elon's meme appeared to be a
hilarious quip geared at technology that the average person would struggle to understand.
However, some internet users believe that this dark-humored man is telling the truth.
Surprisingly, many individuals believe that this particular technology is extremely
dangerous and could one day be the cause of the world's annihilation. Back in 1964,
three different researchers, including Peter Hugh's of Scotland, Francois Englert of Belgium,
and Robert Brout, theorized on the existence of the Higgs boson. CERN stated in 2012 that they had
discovered the Higgs boson, which explains how and why objects have mass. In many ways, it is
regarded as the missing link in physics, which was finally established by CERN's Large Hadron
Collider. Netizens have opposed the LHC for this and other reasons, with some believing that the
organization's research could eventually produce a black hole that would devastate the earth.
Francesco Calogero, an Italian physicist, has actually examined this topic, and as a result,
we have conspiracies stating that the Large Hadron Collider could be a demonic device. Nevertheless,
Musk just teased Twitter users with the meme and did not elaborate on his thoughts. Does
he genuinely believe this, or was this just his way of making fun of people who do believe it?
Conspiracy theorists are more anxious than ever, with CERN's recent study focusing on
the finding of a hypothetical particle that could be a constituent of Dark Matter. CERN,
on the other hand, has stated in its blog Angels and Demons, the science behind this story,
that it is extremely unlikely that a black hole will develop as a result of their testing. Elon
Musk is clearly the king of publishing bizarre things on Twitter, and most people believed this
one to be one of those weird attempts. However, some conspiracy theorists have accused the Large
Hadron Collider of phenomena such as the Mandela effect and reality shifts. Others chose to go
after CERN's logo, claiming that the scientists who work there worship the devil. One user said,
"looks like 666," while another said, "it's literally 666, you can't deny that."
On the other side, a good number of users thought that Musk's tweet and the replies
that validated it were absurd. It was mocked and lambasted by tech enthusiasts on the internet. One
user wrote: “Back to calling technology you don't understand ‘demonic’, are we? Very 1400s of you,
Elon.” While another said, “It's the beginning of the end of the world, pass the popcorn.”
One user said, “bro, you got enough money to build your own. Build it and claim you did it
so that you could ‘fact check’ their research.” “Rumors about it being a ‘Hellgate’ are greatly
exaggerated. The mortally challenged mean us no harm and want to be our friends.” People pointed
out that all possible results of the Large Hadron Collider's activity are conceivable,
thus there's no purpose in limiting their experiments and research. Elon's tweet probably
sparked different perspectives, which is why he opted to buy Twitter in the first place. Netizens
have pointed out that Elon is already playing with a variety of futuristic toys, and only when he is
able to prevent a piece of his space junk from landing on other people's property will he be
able to criticize revolutionary technology such as the Large Hadron Collider. The mixed reaction to
his tweet, which was posted without explanation, appears a touch overdone, as it's difficult to
discern whether he was serious or joking. It's most likely the latter, given that man has been
launching rockets into space, aims to land humans on Mars by 2026, and is ready to begin testing for
the Neuralink brain implant in six months. It's also worth noting that CERN made no response to
the controversy sparked by Elon's post, despite the fact that the institution appears to have
been in talks with him about collaborating. CERN scientists and researchers have an ambitious plan
to solve the universe's secrets, and they may require Elon Musk's assistance in the future.
Now let’s hear your thoughts in the comments section down below.