Forget Black Holes; Particle Accelerators Good For Dating Wine

You may have heard some of the recent controversy over whether or not the massive particle accelerator underground beneath the Swiss-French border will generate a tiny black hole with enough gravitational pull to swallow the earth. (Seriously, folks, go Google it). While most physicists including the inestimable Stephen Hawking scoff at this Doomsday scenario, and the massive particle accelerator itself suffers from chronic technical difficulties and delays, French scientists have discovered, in our humble opinion, a far superior use for particle accelerators. Why use it for quantum physics and discovering the building blocks of the Big Bang when you can it to date wine?

In a recent piece headlined, "Scientists Use Particle Accelerator to Date Wine," the Reuters wire service wrote:

"PARIS (Reuters) - French scientists have devised a way of using particle accelerators to authenticate vintage wines, one of France's top research bodies said this week.

"The new method tests the age of the glass in wine bottles by analyzing X-rays emitted when the bottles are placed under ion beams produced by a particle accelerator, the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) said in a statement.

'"This enables the age of bottles and their origin to be verified and thus a vintage to be authenticated, a bit like the signature of a painter on a masterpiece, all without opening the bottle and without affecting in any way the content,' it said.

"By comparing the results with a database containing detailed information on 80 bottles from the Bordeaux region from the 19th century to the present day, the tests can help indicate the vintage of many wines."

Not exactly discovering the vintage of the origin of the universe, but a darn good way to date your glass!

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