Only from a science-fiction standpoint. As real science, it's a bit crap:
(Please bear in mind that I have only a little bit more than the average layperson's science background...)
-Consider that they don't offer up any sort of explanation as to *how* the universe is sending things back in time. Last time I checked, current understanding was that time only actually worked in one direction, and tachyons and such were only ever hypothetical)
-Consider also that (according to current theory, IIRC) the Higgs Boson is responsible for creating all of the universe's mass, and such bosons exist in every atom. If we're surrounded by gazillions of the things, what terrible harm would come in creating a couple more?
Your first point is actually a valid one, in that as far as we know time travel is precluded in the universe. However, their idea seems to be a more philosophical one. The way I understand it (or interpret it), if the experiment were to succeed then it would wipe out the universe from the very beginning. Since the universe is obviously here, the preconditions for the universe have already been met, and so the experiment won't work.
It's a little like the anthropic cosmological principle combined with Niven's law about time travel.
As for your second point, no, I don't think Higgs bosons are expected to currently exist in every atom. The Higgs field, perhaps, but not the boson itself.
As a story, it sounds wonderfully creepy. As a theory, it sucks. They aren't offering any sort of explanation as to how this could be taking place, just a vague "it must be a message from The Future!!!"
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Date: 2009-10-22 12:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-23 12:25 am (UTC)(Please bear in mind that I have only a little bit more than the average layperson's science background...)
-Consider that they don't offer up any sort of explanation as to *how* the universe is sending things back in time. Last time I checked, current understanding was that time only actually worked in one direction, and tachyons and such were only ever hypothetical)
-Consider also that (according to current theory, IIRC) the Higgs Boson is responsible for creating all of the universe's mass, and such bosons exist in every atom. If we're surrounded by gazillions of the things, what terrible harm would come in creating a couple more?
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-23 01:13 pm (UTC)It's a little like the anthropic cosmological principle combined with Niven's law about time travel.
As for your second point, no, I don't think Higgs bosons are expected to currently exist in every atom. The Higgs field, perhaps, but not the boson itself.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-22 11:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-23 12:28 am (UTC)Meh.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-10-23 03:39 am (UTC)