New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) Fear joined excitement here Wednesday as scientists in Geneva started an ambitious experiment to recreate the conditions that existed a tiny fraction of a second after the universe was formed. The fear stemmed from doomsday predictions that were promptly rubbished by scientists, who were excited by the possibility of understanding the basic constituents of the universe a little better.

People were seen talking about the media reports that predicted Sep 10 might be a doomsday as the experiment could create a shower of unstable black holes that could “eat” the earth from within.

“All my friends are talking about it after seeing it on TV channels. I am really scared of what will happen. Will we all die on Wednesday,” asked housewife Usha Kaushal.

“Even the labourers working at my home asked about it. They asked me to give them more food Tuesday as they wondered whether they would live or not.”

Countering the fear, software executive Shashi Sharma said: “It is just a media frenzy. We must wish the scientists good luck. If the experiment works out well it would greatly benefit humankind.”

Sachin Sharma, a student at IIT Mumbai, echoed that view. “The fear is all hogwash. I just don’t know why people cannot apply their scientific mind. They blindly believe whatever the media dish out.”

Of course there is nothing to worry about and no question of the world coming to an end, former president and renowned scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam reiterated.

“I have been to the tunnel and what they are going to do is to split particles to know how the earth was born. There is no danger involved in the experiment and it is good for science and perfectly safe,” he said.

Another scientist Y.S. Rajan said: “The media is creating unnecessary hype because they are listening to scientific jargon without understanding them. What is happening is a scientific experiment, a small simulation to know what happened in the Big Bang. There is no question of end of universe or any chance of it going down a black hole.”