This list presents factual information about why CERN is spoken about in more than just scientific circles. The physics organization is a hot subject in conversations about politics, finance, and even mythology.

CERN is a nuclear physics organization that has connected itself to some unusual subjects. The physicists that work at CERN speak about ghosts, mythology, and even stalking. The organization does not separate itself from mystery but embraces it.

Black holes

The discovery of black holes delights some physicists and strikes terror in others. Nothing can escape being swallowed by a black hole. The mass grows in size, taking up 20% to 50% of the size of its galaxy. CERN physicist John Ellis looks forward to the discovery of black holes, calling them weird and wonderful things. According to our current model of reality, information that falls into a black hole becomes lost. CERN physicists believe that if they do create tiny black holes, it would be “thrilling and safe.”

The powerful capabilities of the LHC led Journalist Luis Sancho and retired nuclear safety officer Walter Wagner to sue in 2008. The two sued out of concern that the facility would produce black holes and strangelets. The courts dismissed the case because they are not the correct party to sue and there is no “credible threat of harm.” Wagner appealed the case, and it was dismissed a second time for the same reasons. John Oliver from The Daily Show interviewed Wagner in 2009. Wagner made it clear on the show that he believes there is a 50% chance that CERN will destroy the earth. The interview was available on the Comedy Central website but has been disabled.

Opening Portals

Portals to the unknown may sound like the stuff of science fiction tales, but it is an everyday mission for some physicists. CERN has already admitted that something may come through a dimensional door and into the physical world we know. The Director for Research and Scientific Computing, Sergio Bertolucci proposed the idea of sending and taking “something” through the portal.

Bertolucci has said that the portal can be held open for a specific time, approximately 10 seconds. The goal is to see extra dimensions and supersymmetry. He further explained that after the door closes again, we will return to an ordinary 3D world. Bertolucci did not reveal the math and science behind these statements during this interview. Bertolucci stated during an interview that CERN is more interested in pursuing the “unknown unknowns” rather than the “known unknowns.”

Politically Opposed Countries Working Together

There are politically opposed countries working together at CERN. CERN has given the titles “member states” and “observer states” to nations that would typically be politically opposed. India and Pakistan are at war but also hold member state status at CERN. The two countries have been in dispute over the area of Kashmir since September 2016. Kashmir has been the subject of war between these countries twice before. These two countries pay a membership fee which contributes to financial control at CERN.

CERN stated that Pakistan had been involved in nuclear research endeavors at the organization since the 1990s. Pakistan became an associate member state at CERN in 2015, while India became a member associate in 2017. Both countries contribute to the same experiments, CMS and ALICE. The Indian government has been involved at CERN since the 1960s through the Department of Atomic Energy. The Indian Tata Institute of Fundamental Research falls under the Indian government’s umbrella of organizations.

Money

CERN has made its foray into the world of finance. It has cost billions of dollars to build the LHC, keep it functioning, and build additional projects. In 2016, the Swiss bank released the ninth series of 50 Franc notes with artistic renditions of the particle accelerator. The themes of the artwork are the concepts light, time, wind, water, language, and matter. These concepts left some to speculate the reason for the drastic changes to the Swiss Franc, which will take years to print and release all of the new denominations. According to CERN, the changes being made reflect the magnitude of importance the accelerator has on our modern world.

Highly secretive Swiss banking laws make it impossible to audit CERN finances. The Swiss banking system gives CERN the ability to conduct confidential financial transactions. Roughly 21% of the annual CERN budget is devoted to the LHC. In the second place, 18% of the budget applies to undisclosed scientific experiments. CERN finances are entirely controlled by Geneva, Switzerland, even though the facility is partially in France.

The Bilderberg Coincidences

The Bilderberg group is the infamous highly secretive organization that meets annually to discuss international issues. CERN and Bilderberg have strange similarities. Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld founded both organizations during 1954; Bilderberg on May 29 and CERN on December 9th. Before WWII, Bernhard was a Nazi officer whose primary focus was securing Western funding for the Heidelberg Cyclotron, a machine similar to the LHC.

Even though both organizations were founded in the same year by the same person, the two remained primarily separate until 2017. Bilderberg concerns itself with political matters, and CERN focuses on science. Therefore, many people were surprised to see Fabiola Gianotti, Director of CERN on the attendee list. The information regarding what Gianotti’s speech concerned is obscure. The Chatham House rule applies to Bilderberg meetings. The rule states that you’re welcome to reveal information you learned, but you can’t give the identity of the person who spoke it. Rumors abound about what Fabiola Gianotti said at Bilderberg.

The Controversial Higgs Boson Particle

It’s not the Higgs field that arouses danger, but the force that excites the field, the Higgs boson. It’s existence was predicted back in 1960 by Francois Englert and Peter Higgs. The two were trying to understand the Big Bang or how the universe came to exist. The discovery was confirmed and proclaimed in the science community at CERN in 2012. The particle’s existence has been raising eyebrows and concerning some physicists since then.

Stephen Hawking publicly addressed concerns about the Higgs Boson or God particle in the preface of his book, Starmus. The Higgs Boson is metastable, meaning it’s stable unless there is any slight disturbance. Hawking also pointed out that a particle accelerator the size of the planet would be required to make the Higgs particle unstable.

The theoretical physicist at Fermilab, Joseph Lykken, has tied the Higgs boson to the fate of the universe. Lykken has stated that the world is, in fact, unstable and will inevitably be “wiped out” billions of years from now. The concern around the Higgs boson particle is due to the potential to disturb the Higgs field, causing a vacuum that spreads and swallows the universe. According to Lykken, if the bubble does appear, it will happen at the speed of light, faster than anyone can respond.

Physicists opposed to CERN

There are a few notable people in the realm of science that question how safe the LHC is. Biochemist and Professor Otto Rössler have stated that “CERN is about to destroy the credibility of science for the future if the planet survives.” The chemist clarified that he is not against the activities at CERN, he wants the physicists to exercise more caution and abide by the rules of science.

For Rössler, black holes are of specific concern. Rössler believes that a black hole moving slowly enough may go into the Earth, grow, and consume the planet from the inside. Rössler has presented the idea of a Scientific Safety Council to encourage CERN to discuss the safety of its activities with the world. He has yet to receive a response to his request.

The physicist who quit CERN

Dr. Katherine Horton has stated in many interviews that she has worked as a particle physicist at CERN on the ATLAS project. Horton reports that she experiences attacks by microwave energy weapons that belong to German intelligence since 2015. Dr. Horton has created a website and a series of videos detailing her strange experiences after leaving CERN, including stalking. Among her series of unpleasant events after leaving CERN, she has had her home broken into twice.

In the videos on her website, she tells how she found several implants in her body, especially in her neck. She states that she’s confirmed the presence of the implants with a magnet and doesn’t know how they got inside her body. Horton maintains a website about threats imposed on her by intelligence and military agencies.

On Horton’s website, she mentions MI5 Director General Andrew Parker as the person who initiated the energy attacks on her. Horton posted on Twitter a public letter of cease and desist to Dr. Bruno Kahl, the head of German intelligence. She has taken action on her claims by issuing a memorandum on energy weapons to President Donald Trump. The memo urges Trump to end covert programs involving bio-terrorism, neuro-weapons, and EMF weapons.

CERN physicist addresses ghosts

CERN Physicist and author Brian Cox believes that CERN has disproved ghosts. The physicist decided to take on the topic of ghosts during an episode of BBC’s Infinite Monkey Cage podcast. Neil deGrasse Tyson was featured on the episode and decided to question Cox on the subject. Cox proposed that ghosts must consist of only energy.

According to Cox, the current laws of physics say that pure energy should dissipate. If ghosts exist, they must consist of some substance. Cox expressed his confidence in the large hadron collider's ability to detect ghostly matter, whatever that may be. He stated that if ghosts had any substance, the LHC would have found it already. Cox answered yes when asked by Tyson if the LHC has disproved ghosts.

Music, Art, and Mythology Associations

From blues to hip-hop, why has CERN released so many music videos? One popular production is called Symmetry. The short, dance-opera film is meant to help us understand a time before the big bang. According to particle physicist Michael Doser, the film is a "tool to make visible what cannot be seen." The film depicts the story of a physicist who uses dance and song to travel to the beginning of time and rediscover love.

The film is supposed to help people understand the inner workings of matter, featuring a great deal of esoteric dancing. Symmetry portrays dancers dressed as physicists performing Shiva’s Tandava. The Tandava is the Hindu dance of creation and destruction performed by the god Shiva. The dance combines intricate movements of the fingers, legs, and arms. CERN has created several other unorthodox videos including The Atlas Boogie and The Large Hadron Rap. CERN is unusually devoted to music. The organization grants 15,000 Francs, and a guest stay at CERN to internationally recognized artists. The purpose is to encourage collaborations between physicists and artists.