Truthers Take A Hit

One of the pillars of the 9/11 conspiracy theories is that the World Trade Center buildings could not have collapsed at the speed they did without the help of controlled demolition. Not so:

The study by a Cambridge University engineer demonstrates that once the collapse of the twin towers began, it was destined to be rapid and total. ...

Dr Seffen was able to calculate the "residual capacity" of the undamaged building: that is, simply speaking, the ability of the undamaged structure to resist or comply with collapse.

His calculations suggest the residual capacity of the north and south towers was limited, and that once the collapse was set in motion, it would take only nine seconds for the building to go down.

This is just a little longer than a free-falling coin, dropped from the top of either tower, would take to reach the ground.

It won't convince the die-hard truthers, but they've never been impressed with actual facts or engineering.