An article has just been published at New Scientist claiming that if repeated attempts at lawsuits against the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) were to continue, then a judge may well have to decide on whether to pull the plug on the famous experiment.
Various lawsuits have already been filed and all have so far failed. We've been here before, but the NS shows that CERN keep changing their minds over the possibility of a black hole forming as new studies are released. As CERN updates its recommendations, so we could see a new batch of lawsuits with fresh concerns that the LHC may create a black hole that would destroy the world.
In 1999, physicists said no particle accelerator for the foreseeable future would have the power to create a black hole. But theoretical work published in 2001 showed that if hidden extra dimensions in space-time did exist, the LHC might create black holes after all. Thereafter, the argument for safety was changed. In 2003, it said that any black holes created would instantly evaporate. But when subsequent theoretical work suggested otherwise, the argument changed again. In 2008, CERN issued a report arguing a safety case based, ultimately, on astrophysical arguments and observations of eight white dwarf stars. These flip-flops on safety might cause a court to find current assurances less persuasive than they would otherwise be.
For a judge, with probably no scientific training, to be responsible for making a decision about this - or any other scientific matter - should sound alarm bells to scientists around the world. I just recently mentioned in a comment to another article here on ScientificBlogging that it might be a good time to look at a legal framework for scientific work. Science does not exist in isolation to the rest of the world and people will seek legal mechanisms to achieve ends that cannot be done within the traditional routes of scientific discourse.
My remark was not flippant, and this scenario adds weight to my suggestion that we need a science law - a jurisprudence of science.
Any suggestions?
