Physicists say they have found a Higgs boson

AP, via Drudge ^ | March 14, 2013 | AP

[PapaBear3625]

GENEVA (AP) - Physicists said Thursday they are now confident they have discovered a crucial subatomic particle known as a Higgs boson - a major discovery that will go a long ways toward helping them explain why the universe is the way it is.

They made the statement following study of the data gathered last year from the world's largest atom-smasher, which lies beneath the Swiss-French border outside Geneva. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, said that what they found last year was, indeed, a version of what is popularly referred to as the "God particle."

[PapaBear3625]

The Higgs boson would explain why matter has mass. Hat tip to DrudgeReport

[Biggirl]

This 24 hours has been very, very interesting. First a Pope from the Americas now finding the “God particle”.

[Personal Responsibility]

Amazing discovery if true.

[celmak]

Have they discovered it in nature or mathematically? If mathematically, than it's still hypothetics.

[1raider1]

I’m not trying to hijack this thread, but can somebody tell me why even a minimally educated writer would say something like, “goes a long WAYS to helping them” and expect the reader to pay attention to the rest of the article.

[PapaBear3625]

They found a particle last year, and said it might be a Higgs boson. The current announcement is them saying “we’ve finished analyzing the data, and we’re now pretty sure it was a Higgs boson”.

[PapaBear3625]

More details from BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21785205

[ejonesie22]

Educated has a very broad definition in Obama’s America.

[Carry_Okie]

Have they discovered it in nature or mathematically? If mathematically, than it's still hypothetics.

From the excerpt above:

"They made the statement following study of the data gathered last year from the world's largest atom-smasher." Unless somebody cooked the numbers, it looks more like nature.

[Phlap]

... a major discovery that will go a long ways toward helping them explain why the universe is the way it is.

To what end?

[yldstrk]

I agree, when I see something like “it’s” for a possessive or “could care less” or other plainly ignorant implantings in articles I tend to discount the message.

[SecondAmendment]

I once heard compare using an “atom smasher” to figuring out how to build a car by crashing one into another car, then examining the wreck.

[ne1410s]

Heisenberg says “are you sure?”

[Graing]

They 'think' that the Higgs Boson makes up a field that imparts mass. It does so by imparting inertia on the quarks that make up protons. The Higgs has no spin, unlike other elementary particles.

Now, I don't think they have observed the Higgs particle causing this or have measured its mass. I think they found a particle and it seems, initially, that it has no spin. I think there's a leap there because they are really trying to square up the Standard Model and explain where mass comes from.

Disclaimer : I am not a physicist, nor do I play one on T.V. I also did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[kidd]

H+(pigs-p)
bow+zone
pear+tickle

Higgs boson particle

[shelterguy]

Did Leonard and Sheldon find it?

[loungitude]

Was it under the couch?

[edcoil]

Yesterday the scientists said they found the known “minor” particle not the “major” god particle they say they found today.

I tend to doubt it. But, on the positive side, scientists do and must acknowledge the existing of God as the creator if they found what he built.

[Dutchboy88]

"To what end?"

This is perhaps one of the best questions one could ask. In the case of men like Hawking, Hitchens, Dawkins, et al, it is so they can fall into the darkness satisfied they proved that their lives were meaningless.

For others, it underscores the truthfulness of Paul's remarks. He observes the persuasion God gave some, "...that what was seen was not made out of things which are visible." turns out to be the case. And, the discovery will strengthen that persuasion.

[dinoparty]

Why does matter have mass? Isn’t this like asking why does whiteness have white in it?