Slashdot linked up this interesting article about new developments in the attempt to make a grand unified theory of physics. With new supercolliders coming on line in the next few years, scientists are hoping to create subatomic-scale black holes and see what spews out of them as they evaporate via Hawking radiation.

I can remember when this was first proposed, or perhaps was first taken seriously, perhaps five to seven years ago. Everyone was afraid they'd make a black hole that'd swallow the Earth by accident. The author addresses this concern, but it probably wouldn't matter. There were some physicists who thought that the first nuclear explosion would just keep going and going, but they punched the button anyway (most knew it wouldn't.)