Science and Beer - A Potent Combination

Fermilab Anti-Proton Source Termination Device

Sad moment in science the other week with the Fermilab shutting down their collider projects. This was the switch that terminated the last experiments. Think of the can as the connection for a light switch. Remove the can, stop the science, drink the beer in memory of the science.

I try to avoid being too political on here, but the one thing that always makes me sad is when science falls victim to budget cuts. Both sides of the spectrum do it and both get equal jeers from me for their continual efforts to prove humanity's ability to be short sited. Maybe it really is just a big social science experiment. Science used to be done to prove a connection to God (Newton for instance), to understand the universe (Bohr, Einstein) or to provide supremacy with weapons that only a mad man would ever use (Oppenheimer and really, Teller).

All of it though including the space program are now falling by the way side leaving us poorer for it. Fortunately though, we can still sit back and have a beer and try and ponder the deeper meanings to the universe.

Quoting from Reddit user mjm8218 (who submitted this):

"The proton-antiproton collider program at Fermilab was ended one week ago, but the Antiproton Source held a few particles back for completion of an Anti-hydrogen experiment. The remaining pbars, about 40 x1010 were terminated at 11:17 AM (CDT) Friday morning. The termination process was started using the device pictured here. The device is an homage to a loyal and dedicated former power supply technician who passed away a few years ago; he liked to drink Old Style beer. Opening the connection between the copper contact and the top of the beer can started a process wherein the pbars were terminated."