
Neutrinos continue run of odd behavior at Daya Bay - jonbaer
http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/neutrinos-continue-run-of-odd-behavior-at-daya-bay/
======
VeilEm
Would it be possible to create a nuclear power plant detector by trying to
detect neutrinos?

~~~
fnordfnordfnord
Yes, in principle, absolutely. It wouldn't be practical though. The detectors
are large, and sensitive to every kind of noise and interference, and you need
to collect data, not just take a mere single reading. But, funny story, during
commissioning the Chinese officials in charge of the nuclear plant were very
conservative about what information they wanted to share with the experiment
regarding the plant's operational status, I got to see them with some funny
looks on their faces when the physicists told them, and showed them plots of
exactly what was going on in the reactors and when.

------
MrBingley
That plot was made in ROOT (twitch). They have my sympathies.

------
vardump
Could our understanding of nuclear decay be slightly inaccurate and affect
these results?

------
exelius
So they've discovered dark energy but everyone is afraid to say anything?

~~~
ceejayoz
No one wants a repeat of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-
light_neutrino_ano...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-
light_neutrino_anomaly)

~~~
gameshot911
I understand why that may be the case, but IMO your link was a prime example
of science done -right-. The researchers saw something they couldn't explain,
and even knowing that that they almost certainly made a mistake somewhere,
they put their hubris aside and asked the community for help. This sort of
discovery should be commended, not avoided!

~~~
ceejayoz
The science was done right, but the media management wasn't.

~~~
_0ffh
Lol, media management!

The mainstream (and wannabe mainstream) media care about lurid headlines, and
not much else (apart from the occasional agitprop piece, maybe). Even the most
guarded of press releases are regularly distorted beyond recognition. Good
luck with the media management!

~~~
mturmon
That combustible media environment must therefore be taken into account when
publishing results.

~~~
_0ffh
Press release: "We possibility found a hint that might indicate X."

Press: "Breakthrough study finds that X!!1!one1eleven"

(I know I am caricaturing here, but certainly less than I'd like...)

~~~
mikeash
Really, the only caricature I see is the fact that they use particular kinds
of vocabulary as a substitute for exclamation marks.

