Have you people saying 'Couldn't this money be used to feed the poor' considered that we have put more than 100x this into feeding the poor in less than 10 years but now its time for us to build something we can enjoy and play with.

The chances of this opening something fantastic are amazing.

Azmax, Bournemouth, UK

The arrogance of this is appalling, but the ignorance of the media is more so. They're saying tests are complete, which is ridiculous. If there is anything dangerous here, they haven't DONE IT YET! One collider leg, then the other, then collision.

Mike, Missoula, US

Don't you people find it fasanting that if we do die from creating another big bang that we are practically gods. Just think for a moment that we are powerful enough to create an entirely new universe at the cost of 5 billion pounds. Were as a few centuries ago people couldnt have dreamt any of this

Azmax, Bournemouth, UK

Although I am told that it will be over in the blink of an eye if it does go horribly wrong, it would have been nice to be consulted on whether I want my existence wiped out in the name of science and progress, and what exactly do we intend to learn from this that will impact our day to day lives?

Kelly, Bracknell, UK

It's a sighn on the wall that this news is from Europe and not from the USA.

robert, vancouver, bc

Why? Because we can, it's part of the human condition to try and understand our existance and I think it's wonderful. Science and Religion share a common theme, all religions after all boil down to trying to explain the unknown. As for benefits, you couldn't read this without CERN's experiments.

Matt S, Norwalk, USA (Brit ex-pat)

This is an over expensive man made, man controlled experiment. It was made by men, who controlled what happened and how it happened. This proves to me that in order to create anything, you need a creator.

Paul Peters, Merritt Island, USA

well then at least if the world collapses i'll be asleep for it! Good luck though

Gerald, London,

If we create a Big Bang we can then design an experiment to find out what happened BEFORE the Big Bang!!!

Carry on the good work.

PS Where did the Big Bang take place??

Gilbert, Cheltenham,

I wonder if previous civilisations created the same experiment which lead to a Black hole which consumed their universe and lead to the creation of our universe.

callum, Liverpool, UK

Ok...to be honest, i'm not worried...if something DID go wrong, surely, with my crude knowledge of particle physics, it would happen at lightspeed anyway? And we'd be none the wiser?

As for the spending...well, why do we spend trillions on other countries when ours in disrepair itself? Thats life

Neil Edwards, London, England

What does Sarah Palin think about all this. That's what I want to know.

Frank Greaney, Liverpool,

It won't actually tell us anything, just because they can re-create doesn't mean it happened, and if it did happen then it won't tell us how - just did, god did it this way, a pack of monkeys pushing really hard!

Ke Br, Nottingham, Notts

So does the Earth still get to retain the "Mostly Harmless" entry? :D

But, seriously, I wish I was there when they switched it on! I am waiting to see the results.

As for all the doomsayers, don't worry, if it results in an exploding black hole, we won't even know it.. :D

Cheers!

Shrikant Joshi, Pune, India

Funny how this captures the atention re doomsday scenario, yet all the other things going on that have a much greater chance of wiping out huge numbers of people are ignored e.g. accidents at nuclear power stations, weapons plants etc
Falling down stairs probably kills more people than LHC will

ws, manchester,

So which particle got the gold? And what is the heritage legacy for this site?

John Ledbury, Kings Lynn, England

We have all been lulled into a false sense of insecurity because the real experiment wont happen for a few days yet. If the experiment does go wrong we will not have the apprehension as we will never know.

louis, Liverpool, UK

Just because we didnt see something happening, that doesnt meant it didnt happen or junk

Satya, Bangalore, India

We think it is very selfish because a lot of people have been worrying about it.

some of year 7, Lord Williams's School, Thame, UK

This "God particle", in my opinion, will never reveal itself. Why? If it will, then God is not that "Supreme" anymore. And I could say, this is just another "tower of babel".

Demuel, London, UK

"Is man ready to eliminate God?"
Oooohhh YES WE ARE!!!
Why did it take so long?

Esther, London,

were all gonna die

curtis, london, UK

everyone from my school have heard about this experiment, and are worryed about any coniqwences that could happen. As they say they are 'recreating' the conditions of the big bang. but what would happen if it went right would the world end? as this new big bang would cause everything to re-happen.

Amy, Plymouth, uk

To moan about the 5 billion spent on the project is madness, if we took the attitude that every penny we had was to go to the less fortunate then we could cancel the olympics and save at least twice that.

I' d prefer to learn the secrets of the universe than watch a few people run round a field!

Matt, Cardiff, UK

The BIG BANG stunt is just TOYS FOR BOYS if you ask me. Money could have been spent on the here and now, rather than on the maybe !!!!

ian payne, WALSALL,

How come we put away terrorist for attempting to blow up a bus yet a bunch of people who never asked my permission are possible going to blow the whole world up and no one bats an eye lid...what a strange world we live in ...perhaps we have what is coming to us ...the end of my sentence is neigh

andy, chalfont, england

Radio 4 had a show on about it just now. I did n't realise quite how big it is! One of the "objects" that they lowered down the 100 metre shaft was 1,920 tonnes. This is one of a bit of kit. Having recently read "A Short History of Everything" I find this to be extremely exciting!

charles, Cirencester, Great Britain

Yeah but can it explain what a woman really wants ?

Jay, kingstown, uk

How much power is the experiment using and how much will its carbon footprint contribute to global warming?

Sage, Woop Woop, Australia

Gees, don' t these guys have anything better to do with time and money? Wouldn't scientific efforts be better put to use by researching things that will assist the poor, sick and needy in the future rather than worrying about proving myths of the distant past?

Julia, London, England

There are unprecedented pressures on the environment & resources which threaten life on as we live it NOW. Who gave the go-ahead to spend such a collossal amount of money? How much benefit will come from whatever THEORIES scientists come up with? There are far more pressing problems.

Matthew Watts, London, England

So what is to be gained by this enormous waste of money, which could have been bettter spent, on feeding the poor of this world. Or is this going to be a new weapon in the ever going arms race???

Elizabeth sandes, Sydney, Australia

what an amazing experiment, it's a question many of us ask "how did it all begin" if this works and proves to us that the big bang is how our universe was created, forming galaxies-planets and life itself, then maybe it's not impossible for another universe to exist! Are we alone?

Nina, Lancashire, England

yes i find this rather cool i hope it turn out like star wars and we all end up in a big space ship!

john pikie, wrexham, wales

Hi Michael,..every thing we do in this world or to our self is for fantasy...even the words u have writed is for the same. ...when some thing good is happening dont be negative ..be positive dude..some great thing is happening in this world, whh u cant do those thing..and other are doing...let them

Viswanath Sairam, mysore, INDIA

>> Couldn't the almost £4 BILLION be put to better use?

For sure:
few more air carriers or nuclear submarines.
Well, 30 Chelsea clubs or Hollywood movies : )

Petr, Coventry, UK

It will, Michael. It will. ;)

Alex Montana, Frankfurt, Germany

I don't like the part about generating "energy so intense that such conditions have not existed since a trillionth of a second after the big bang".

Did anyone suppose that this... might have been a bad idea?

I'm phoning Jimmy Neutron

James, Buckmore, England

This is the most brilliant and exciting thing since the discovery of electricity (and consider all that THAT enabled). Personaly I think GM crops are infinately more dangerous to the planet than this fascinating experiment. Money well spent. The last Cern project gave us the Internet after all.

Lucas Tatek, Herts., uk

I agree with the fact that it is a waste of money and that we could do much more with 5billion. However I agree that advancements are only achieved through experiments.
But why oh why do we have to do the experiment on our tiny fragile planet. its like testing dynamite in your house. stupid.

Nick, Deux-Sévres, France

"Couldn't the almost £4 BILLION be put to better use?" The money spent has gone towards the employment of thousands over the years of construction, and many of them every-day folk, not just nuclear physics professors. Would £4 billion buy world peace? Or would it just buy more politicians...?

Richard, Winchester, UK

Great job for the world.

Ratna, Chennai, Chennai, India

How can some people be against this? it will l teach us so much about our universe it completely justifies the cost.

Craig, UK,

Will it tell me if Sylvia down the road fancies me?

Michael, Dimboola, Australia

Couldn't the almost £4 BILLION be put to better use? I see quite a lot of poor people who would benefit from some of this - rather than indulging scientists in flights of fantasy.

tim murray, London,

Is it going to tell us what "lost" is all about?

MGB, Carmarthen, Wales

If it an exploratory experiment, it is well meaning but what if the energy produced through Big Bang 2 devours all of us?Here in India, all kinds of theories are floating around vis a vis out very existence on earth due to this scientific experiment.Hope Stephen Hawking is right about God's particle

Pritam Sinha, New Delhi, INDIA

Well, they won't find the answer to the 'Big Bang' because it never happened. It is junk science. Learn about the Electric Universe; you know it makes sense. Google 'Thunderbolts' and have a proper read.

Phred, Chesterfield, UK

They say the universe is infinite with trillions of galaxies, stars and planets. The possibilities of life, matter and dimensions are limitless. The danger is that for every positive there is a negative. Men are still at war. How will dark matter react to this? Is man ready to eliminate God?

Walter , Orlando, USA

Quote: "What is the need for all this adventure?" What do you propose instead. Stagnation? Anyway, it's not adventure - it's science at it's very finest and most audacious.

Nige Danton, Saigon, Vietnam

Great adventure......if it goes right we learn something fundamental and important....if it goes wrong we all disappear into a black hole. What could be better? Puts all the other trivia of modern life into perspective.

Andrew Wilson, Offshore Nigeria,

At a cost of 5 Billion pounds, I am sure it must be considered by many as money well spent. However, tell that to the homeless, those struggling to survive and to live within the human race. Still it must be better to know how it all started, if it fails of course there will be a scientific reason

Mark Harris, Swansea, Wales

David..you won't be able to read about anything...just "blink" and we're gone.
Who put all these NUTS in charge in Geneva anyway?
The "God Particle".oh..please...gimme a BREAK! It has nothing to do with God. Its mankind running Amok.

Austin Peckham, Victoria, B.C., Canada

When we turn the key to start a car at least we hope that it turns on and is able to take us where we want to go. Turning on the LHC will be a force driven not by us and an taken us to an unknown destination? please dont turn it on. please

Niki, New Delhi, india

I would like to thank all the scientists involved in this colosal project for givining us a better understanding on the formation of life itself. Besides, solving questions regarding matter and form. Welldone.

Philip Mamo, Pieta, Malta

What is the need for all this adventure? Even if we know the genesis of the Universe, how will it help? Why can't people do something for the other important issues like Global Terrorism, Global warming and Climate Change. What if it fails and leads to fatal repurcussions?

Dr Sandeep Kulshrestha, Hyderabad, India

Perhaps this is the explanation to the Fermi Paradox - that all emerging civilisations naturally build a large collider and when they turn it on... whoosh!

Another promising civilisation dispatched to eternity...

Nige Danton, Saigon, Vietnam

A new era is about to come...

mike, mexico DF, mexico

"The adventure begins today." So CERN hopes, because there is a very significant chance that all this money and tech will reveal absolutely nothing. If it turns out to be the case that's pretty much the end of such big accelerator projects in future.

Dirk Bruere, Bedford, England

"Don't Panic!"

...just grab your toothbrush, towel, peanuts,beer.... and a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster!

Karen, Newmarket, Canada

I hope this will make all people understand that we are of the same fabric .because evil against one is evil against all, and that must stop

Anton camaj , bloomfield , USA

the end of the world is niegh

Dave, Hull, UK

So long and thanks for all the fish!

Jon Croft, chicago, US

Good luck guys. I can't wait to read about the results!

David, London, UK