Looks Like the Higgs Boson Has Been FOUND

[RandallS]

Scientists with CERN and ATLAS have announced that they are 99.9999% certain that they have found a new particle -- a particle appears to fit the description of the Higgs boson.

Read the article

If you want to know about the Higgs boson (and the Higgs field) and why it is important, see CERN's Frequently Asked Questions: The Higgs! page.

[HeartShadow]

Scientists with CERN and ATLAS have announced that they are 99.9999% certain that they have found a new particle -- a particle appears to fit the description of the Higgs boson.

Read the article

If you want to know about the Higgs boson (and the Higgs field) and why it is important, see CERN's Frequently Asked Questions: The Higgs! page.

 
Well, so much for time travel or the world gets destroyed!!!!

[Faemon]

Scientists with CERN and ATLAS have announced that they are 99.9999% certain that they have found a new particle -- a particle appears to fit the description of the Higgs boson.

Read the article

Well, I did guess it was a stand-in-for something... like, once they reached where the Higg's thummy would be, it would actually be some cohesive kind of plexiglass and we'd see our parallel mirror universe out the other side of it where we all wear cowboy hats, and wave to each other. Or something.

Equally cool bananas, this.

[Dragonoake]

a particle appears to fit the description of the Higgs boson.

 
Herein lies the problem ...
It fits the general description, but how can you be sure?
It's kind of looking for  67 Camaro without knowing what it looks like: all you know is that you're looking for a car about 15' long with a wheelbase around 107" and weighs around 2700 pounds ...
You found a car that car like that, but a 63 Valiant fits that description just as well, so you need more information to be sure

[Etheric1]

Herein lies the problem ...
It fits the general description, but how can you be sure?
It's kind of looking for  67 Camaro without knowing what it looks like: all you know is that you're looking for a car about 15' long with a wheelbase around 107" and weighs around 2700 pounds ...
You found a car that car like that, but a 63 Valiant fits that description just as well, so you need more information to be sure

Um, if they are as certain as they say, and considering how slow science is to acknowledge things unless there is strong evidence that stands up to scrutiny and can be repeatable, I'm inclined to believe them.  They are going to be way more specific than your above example about thing. They've put A LOT of money and time into this, they are not going to make bold claims unless they are prepared to back them up.

[RandallS]

Um, if they are as certain as they say, and considering how slow science is to acknowledge things unless there is strong evidence that stands up to scrutiny and can be repeatable, I'm inclined to believe them.

All they have really said is that they are certain they have found a particle (5 sigma certainty: 99.9999%). The particle found is where they expected the Higgs to be based on prior research. But they haven't said it is the Higgs -- that will take more research (determining its spin, for example). It probably is the Higgs, but there is a chance it could instead be some new, unexpected particle.

[Amethyst]

All they have really said is that they are certain they have found a particle (5 sigma certainty: 99.9999%). The particle found is where they expected the Higgs to be based on prior research. But they haven't said it is the Higgs -- that will take more research (determining its spin, for example). It probably is the Higgs, but there is a chance it could instead be some new, unexpected particle.

 
In either case, it is an exciting new development (I hope it the Higgs, but it's for a sort of inside-joke with a class at school...) I'll have to keep an eye out for when they officially publish the information, with whether they truly believe it to be the Higgs or not.