A fruitless endeavor in the end.God is God and men are not. I wait and watch for Him to grow weary with mans feeble attempts to disprove God in any way possible. Scientists -the ones who they let talk?- brains are nothing compared with the Creator . IF there were a Big Bang-God created it this way!

Susan, Danville, United States

Why should this machine "rule out" God as the Creator of the universe? For me, the scientists' findings will further confirm His magnificence, and His glorious Wisdom in all that He has created; human discovery of the great, intricate laws of the universe is affirmation of His existence.

R., D.C.,

It's the University of Michigan, not Michigan University.

Tom, Denver, USA

Poor parts of the world are a permanent state and fact of life, have been, and will continue to be until many external influences are fixed. Scientific progress has improved the average quality of life consistently since it began in earnest. To not study science is to promote humanity's stagnation.

Richard Belleville, British Columbia, Canada

Its really ashame to spend 8 billon dollars on the LHC, that's enough money to fund the US Iraq war for an additional 20 days....

george, chicago,

this experiment has the potential to rule out God as the creator of the universe in catagoric terms.Thats a tough realisation and these are some of the worlds best brains spelling that out.

Kevin, london, England

Actually in economic terms, ceteris paribus - 10% of the GWP spread evenly would be more than enough to feed the entire planets population. Not that 10% is mentioned in the article. Therefore you’re off on 2 counts Joshua.

Tom, London, UK

As for 'a.k.upadhyay' it's thinking like that which led to the dark ages. You can't have a view like yours then use the internet without being a hypocrite, it too would of once been considered witchcraft or 'beyond our capacity'. Also your final fact is wrong in so many ways I’m not going to start.

Tom, London, UK

it's bad to know too much. it's enough that there is Great God to take care of us. it's beyond our capacity to find out how something can come out of nothing.Let's take comfort by leaving it to Him and let a mystery be a mystery.
The money spent could feed the world's hungry children for
ten days

a.k.upadhyay, Lucknow, India

I believe providing food for humanity is assumed in the other 99.9% of the GDP

Mark, Port Jefferson Station,

er.. joshua... one tenth of a per cent, not one tenth.

and there's no point in feeding a few people if it means the whole human race dies out.

jem, london, uk

Joshua - it says "one tenth of a percent" i.e. 0.1% of GDP, not 10%.

Giles, Manchester,

NOT one tenth! He said One tenth of 1 percent. Ack! How can you presume to weigh-in on the importance of such a scientific endeavor if you can't understand simple mathematics?

Sebastian, Tucson, USA

It's one tenth of one percent. Whilst that would still feed a lot of starving people, in reality other uses would be found for the taxes and the hungry would only temporarily be better off.

Malcolm McLean, Bradford, UK

To not do any research on the basis that the money could provide food, water or medical care for the poor would mean that we never did anything. And yet, one might make a case for poverty being self-inflicted through bad government, as an article in The Times about Africa, recently identified.

Lewis Blight, Nottingham, UK

one tenth of the world's GDP could feed alot of starving people... and while physics is interesting, can't we live without it? i know that's not what Hawking meant, but really one tenth of the entire world's GDP is not a small proportion

Joshua, Norwich,

Exactly what i was finking. amazing how we came too the same conclusion?

Fanny Adams, cardiff, uk