The Strange Case of… Strangelets
I hadn’t heard anything about strangelets (tiny, superdense, hypothetical objects) before, but according to this two-year-old article, Earth may occasionally be getting pummeled by them: Earth punctured by tiny cosmic missiles.
I like stories like this because they remind me how weird and unexpected reality frequently turns out to be. I mean, if I read this story on April 1, I’d be pretty sure it was a hoax. But it appears to be legit.
Thanks to Bravo for the link.
May 16th, 2004 at 11:55 pm
I wonder if someone got hit by one what a) the noticeable effect would be, and b) the cause of death listed in the final report — that is if the person would die.
May 18th, 2004 at 10:53 pm
In response to the above readers comment:
I’m not an expert on this, but, I do know a little about the subject. It’s possible that the person would feel no effect. These particles are so small, they may pass through the empty space in between atoms – maybe? Maybe some of the strange experiences people have had over the years are due to these particles smashing into their brains. Well, I’m most likely full of it- but I tried.
Jenny
December 9th, 2004 at 8:58 pm
If the strangelet is positive (most likely), then it would either pass through without hitting anything, or grab a couple of electrons on the way. Imagine standing in front of the microwave when making a cup of hot milk. Much the same.
If the strangelet is negative, then I think the whole universe would cease to exist. Not sure, but I think that’s right.
Rohan