Higgs Boson aka "the God particle" has possibly been found

[MKJ]

god bless the LHC amirite?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/ ... d-particle

[Don Carlos]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16158374

YEAH SCIENCE!!!! WWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[dghost77]

That would be really awesome if they could find it! Next thing that I want to see in my lifetime, human on mars!

Long live the LHC.

[scared?]

I heard that particle is the size of duhard's penis...

[Eraser]

I think the Guardian gives us a big and unambiguous "no they haven't", doesn't it?

[DTS]

The BBC article said we won't know for a year. (Just by the end of the article.)

Edit: Here's the quote:

Prof Stefan Soldner-Rembold, from the University of Manchester, called the quality of the LHC's results "exceptional", adding: "Within one year we will probably know whether the Higgs particle exists, but it is likely not going to be a Christmas present."

[dghost77]

true, they cannot confirm it yet and it will take a long time for that, but it really looks promising.

[scared?]

the Geoff particle...

[bitWISE]

The ATLAS crew found an excess at 126 GeV of 2.3 sigma. That's pretty significant, actually. If CMS sees it too, it's time to get excited.

Layman's terms: You need 5 sigma to prove the theory. More research is needed. If the CMS crew's research has similar findings as ATLAS, it's probably not just an anomaly, and you can expect the Higgs boson to be proven to exist within the next couple of years.

Update The CMS team has had sort of similar findings. They found excesses between 115 and 127GeV. I believe I heard 1.9 sigma. I get the impression that CMS is being more conservative than ATLAS in their report.

BOTTOM LINE: Both teams had deviations that would indicate that there's something there. CMS's data leaves much more of a possibility that their deviations were just random than ATLAS's data, however taking into account that both teams had deviations around the same GeV range, it's less likely that it was random.

This was no bombshell announcement, but it does seem that these awesome people who are much smarter than you or I are getting quite close to proving (or disproving! But probably proving.) the existence of the Higgs.

[Ryoki]

I have no idea what any of this means, but i'm duly excited!

[GONNAFISTYA]

I have no idea what any of this means, but i'm duly excited!

When you get down to the nitty gritty, what it all means is that if the Higgs boson isn't found then the Standard Model is probably wrong and we'll need to rethink physics.

[bitWISE]

The standard model holds up very well in every other area. We would just need a new theory for the origins of mass. A lot of the properties of particles are simply measured parameters to the standard model rather than explainable results.

[Transient]

The Higgs boson is overrated. Even if they prove it's there, we still have plenty of unanswered questions before the Standard Model is ironclad. A "God" particle it is not.

[scared?]

it's Geoff particle....moron...

[o'dium]

I don't claim to have even the slightest idea of what this is. Seeing as its much more easier to type this long text rather thank just click my google link up top, just what exactly would it mean if this thing was found? Are we talking dinosaurs with lazers on their backs or what?

[Transient]

It will prove that particles have mass, or something along those lines. It confirms that their current theory on how particles work is on the right track, but they'll still be a ways off from proving anything definitively. The nickname of "God particle" is a bit of a misnomer, since the Higgs boson isn't as important as many people think.

If they prove it doesn't exist, however, then see what GFY said.

(this is all based on what I read in 5 minutes on Wikipedia, which we all know is the end-all be-all of internet research)

[seremtan]

ATHEISTS CREATE BLACK HOLE THAT SWALLOWS UNIVERSE DURING SEARCH FOR GOD

[EtUL]

hmmm...wake up sheeple. couldn't find it for so long...then people are losing interest and they can't tell us for a year?... then in a year it'll be all oops...wasn't really it, but we need even moor funding...

wake up morons...

[bitWISE]

Check the video at the bottom for a really good explanation.

http://worldsciencefestival.com/blog/br ... nouncement

[GONNAFISTYA]

hmmm...wake up sheeple. couldn't find it for so long...then people are losing interest and they can't tell us for a year?... then in a year it'll be all oops...wasn't really it, but we need even moor funding...

wake up morons...

lol

[xer0s]

Would the discovery of the god particle give us a technology boost (I know not immediately)?

[bitWISE]

Pretty sure it wont. It is mostly just confirming previous theory work I think. It will help with the research of dark matter though.

[GONNAFISTYA]

The first tech we'll get is called Element Zero or "eezo", wherein you can change the mass of an object higher or lower.

Then we'll eventually all run around giving each other biotic wedgies.

[Tsakali]

Would the discovery of the god particle give us a technology boost (I know not immediately)?

and that's why research funding is difficult to come by.... no immediate profit potential for the layman.

[plained]