A Christian molecular biologist answers questions about Easter and the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC)

What scientific problems are physicists trying to resolve through the experiments at CERN?

First off, I’m a PhD molecular biologist who studies DNA and RNA molecules. Even though the molecules I study are microscopically small, they are still millions of times larger than what particle physicists study. I’m still delighted to take part in this discussion, since I think Christian believers should be fascinated with all kinds of scientific problems The LHC is a 17-mile circular tunnel, 500 feet underground, located near Geneva, Switzerland. It will generate a staggering 15 million gigabytes of data per year (you think YOU have computer storage issues!). Particle physicists are curious about how matter and energy are organized at the smallest level. What are the “building blocks” of the universe? Aristotle taught that the building blocks were earth, air, fire and water. Many of us were taught the philosophy of the Greek writer Democritus, that the building blocks are called atoms. Now we know that even atoms appear to be built from smaller pieces, like protons and neutrons and electrons. These little pieces are too small to see, and seem to obey rules that are very different from our experiences. Are the sub-atomic particles made of even smaller things? The current popular theory among physicists is a complicated theory called the “standard model.” According to this model, even the sub-atomic particles are made of other even smaller particles, called quarks, that can form clusters called Hadrons. Particle physicists are trying to get a list of all the subatomic particles, figure out how they behave, and test the “standard model.” If predictions of the “standard model” aren’t observed in experiments, it might be wrong and physicists may need to go back to the drawing board. The LHC is the biggest single science experiment ever undertaken. CERN is a group of participating European countries (with collaborators from other countries like the U.S.) that invested $10B to build this amazing machine. That is a big investment for one experimental tool, but it is an amazing tool. And remember, we in the U.S. spent $1billion EACH for the 20 B-2 stealth bombers we have in our air force!

What are they able to accomplish with the CERN apparatus that has been inaccessible to us in the past?

The LHC on the border of France and Switzerland is the ultimate high energy particle smasher, able to generate collisions with energies 100,000 times hotter than the sun. The idea of a particle smasher (actually a particle accelerator) is that we learn about what is inside something by smashing it to smithereens and watching the pieces fly off from the collision. That seems crude, but we could learn a lot about the components of cars by crashing two cars together at high speed and photographing the pieces that fly off in different directions. The LHC is capable of smashing protons (lots of protons) together with more energy than any previous machine. The LHC cameras (called “detectors”) that watch the pieces fly apart are the largest and most sensitive ever made, weighing thousands of tons. Ultimately the LHC was built to try to detect a particular theoretical particle that is important in the standard model. This important particle is called the Higgs boson (I’m not making this up.) A better understanding of this particle would help physicists understand why matter has mass, where is the mass in the universe, and how gravity works. Interestingly, physicists believe that the force of gravity is weaker than expected from theory. Some physicists believe there are more dimensions in the universe than the three dimensions (and the fourth dimension, time) that we experience. They believe gravity seems weak in our world because it is shared with some of these extra dimensions. That is a very cool idea.

How might the data be used to help us understand the origins of life and either prove or disprove the existence of God?

The results from the LHC will teach particle physicists whether they are on the right track in their theories, or if they need to go back to the drawing board. We will learn what kind of power and energy are needed to create and sustain the universe. I suspect that faithful physicists will find the result to inspire awe in the power and magnificence of their creator. I suspect that agnostic or atheist physicists will probably not become religious believers simply because of this work. My experience is that we tend to view the universe through the eyes of faith or the eyes of doubt. At their core, though, these experiments will help us better understand the truth about our world.

How might a Christian scientist resolve the newly acquired data with the data from scripture that tells us that “By him were all things made and in him all things consist”?

I think this is the most important question. I believe that God “speaks” to us in many wonderfully different languages. He has revealed himself in ways through the rich and complex different forms of literature collected in the Bible in the biblical languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. But God speaks to us in many other ways. He speaks through his spirit and through his people. Remember, God also speaks through his creation. The world around us teaches us about God’s creativity. The fabric of the universe is God’s fabric. Human curiosity is evidently an aspect of God’s image in us. When astronomers use telescopes to look back in time toward the Big Bang, or particle physicists look at the tiniest fragments of matter and energy, they are reading God’s word in a different kind of language. Francis Collins worked to sequence the entire genome, and has written that studying DNA is, to him, studying a language of God. Physicists are learning that God’s language is even more weird and complex than they had thought. The amazing truth is that God’s language appears to be mathematics. Christians should not be threatened by the discoveries of science. These discoveries will also help us to better appreciate the poetry and mystery of the Bible. If the discoveries are true, they will stand up to the test of time, and they will teach us about the many ways that God is speaking to the universe he loves. In fact, there are scientists who think there may be many, many universes. I imagine that God loves them all. Maybe not all of them are fallen and need redemption, but I believe God loves to rescue fallen and undeserving things, just like he rescued me. He is willing to sacrifice himself to make this point. Perhaps God is redeeming many different universes. What is most remarkable to me is that this unfathomably awesome and powerful God cares about a galaxy in the middle of nowhere in this universe, and a solar system in the middle of nowhere in that galaxy, and a small planet in that solar system. He cares about a race of beings on that planet, and he cares with unimaginable and individual love. He cares about you and he cares about me, and he knows us both. He has purchased us with his love, in spite of our rebellion. Our God is a God of extreme power and extreme love.

Does this have anything to do with Easter?

Easter and the Resurrection may seem far removed from the studies of particle physics. Maybe they are not. Physics teaches us that the creator must have unimaginably immense power, and the ability to interconvert matter and energy. According to Einstein (E=mc^2) making matter from energy can be done, but it is extremely expensive. Amazingly, all the matter of the universe was created from energy by God at the Big Bang. Moreover, it may be that our God is the Lord of multiple dimensions. The kingdom of heaven may be among us now, but in a dimension we don’t experience (yet). Our Lord may be a Lord of multiple universes! To such a God, resurrection and the death of death seem small obstacles. Indeed they may be the rule rather than the exception.

As I scientist, I see my curiosity as a reflection of who God made me to be. Understanding God’s world means understanding God a little better. For those interested in more about the LHC, a fun (musical) rap video was created by a young female scientist at CERN. It’s been watched almost 6 million times on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM