CERN finds Higgs boson

CERN has finally figured it out: the Higgs boson is real.

Higgs bos-whut? PhDComics lays it down.

The Higgs Boson Explained from PHD Comics on Vimeo.

Okay, let me quantify that a bit: with a certainty approaching almost 100% that it's not a fluke, CERN researchers have isolated a new particle with a mass of 125.3 ± 0.6 GeV at 4.9 σ significance.

This is consistent with models predicting the so-called 'God particle', which gives some, but not all, of the mass of other elementary particles in the cosmos.



Two teams of scientists at CERN have confirmed the discovery of a new subatomic particle, which may well be the elusive Higgs boson.

"I can confirm that a particle has been discovered that is consistent with the Higgs boson theory," said John Womersley, chief executive of the UK's Science & Technology Facilities Council. The result is still preliminary, but "it's very strong and very solid," according to Joe Incandela, spokesman for one of the two teams hunting for the Higgs particle (from Russia Today on YouTube).