LHC spots no black holes, eliminates some versions of string theory
arstechnica.com
arstechnica.com
From TFA:
Contrary to some reports, this result doesn't mean the death of string theory, only the particular flavor that predicted black holes at these energies...
If by this you mean that this should pressure the researchers to look for elegant ways to simplify the theory, I agree. But we have to wade through the muck first.
On the other hand we have to keep in mind that such a desire for simplicity (or at least elegance) is really a "human condition" and a judgement. There is no a priori reason why the "ultimate" theory shouldn't be, to our minds, extraordinarily complicated.
You're right that theories (whether they're "ultimate" or just effective theories) don't have to be simple. In fact, as a physics student I spent many semesters studying QFTs, QED, SM and QCD (our current proven and accepted theories) at University, and believe me, they're not simple or beautiful or whatever. (At least not in the sense that a programmer would call something simple or beautiful.)
Whoever tells you that they are is trying to sell you a pop.sci. book or article.
Simple though? No. They are not simple.
...until second quantization (and some Dirac-notation formulations of perturbation theory). Those I enjoyed.
"Never rise to speak till you have something to say."
This applies to software as well.
There is no scientific proof of it, even though there are many careers based on it. It can make a good living, like religion to priests.
This is just the usual HEP PR mill.
String theories are not quite like religion in that they are falsifiable, just usually not falsifiable within current technical possibilities. This experiment in the OP falsified one of the lower energy possibilities.
With this in mind, though, it may be more useful to support research closer to applied fields. That is, if public money is supporting the string theory industry, a cut in that direction would be appropriate.