To: "Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [percy-l] Walker Percy quoted in today's NY Times: Gauging a Collider’s Odds of Creating a Black Hole
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:29:49 -0500
I'm aware of one instance of self-censorship that occured in the wake of
9/11. A scientist working on explosives gave up research into aluminum
nanopowders. The explosive potential of a substance increases according to
the surface area it has to react with oxygen when it combusts. Using
nanomachining techniques, it's theoretically possible to churn out a small
amount of highly porous aluminum compounds with extremely high explosive
potential. It would be virtually impossible to detect by airport screeners.