The tardigrades that NASA fired into space have now returned, having survived exposure to both the extremes of the stellar vacuum and exposure to cosmic rays. I think that would be a fun job, blasting random critters into space. I can think of several candidates right off the top of my head, unintended consequences be damned.

Does this tardigrade look different to you?

I’d also like to be the guy who gets to push the button on the Large Hadron Collider. They’ve already beamed a few test protons through it, and tomorrow they’re set for the big experiment. Of course, there are several people who think that the experiment will be the end of the world.

Pfft. I say fire it up. These are the same kind of people who thought the Manhattan Project would ignite the atmosphere and kill us all. Or that every electronic device on the planet would shut down on Y2K. They just don’t understand the science behind what they’re talking about.

To that, I say educate yourself:

Now, let’s talk about testing my Large Hardon Collider…