It was just recently announced by the Cern scientists working at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) that they found something which could be the Higgs boson. I thought this was interesting enough to warrant posting considering the implications.

Higgs boson-like particle discovery claimed at LHC

QuoteCern scientists reporting from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) have claimed the discovery of a new particle consistent with the Higgs boson.

The particle has been the subject of a 45-year hunt to explain how matter attains its mass.

Both of the Higgs boson-hunting experiments at the LHC see a level of certainty in their data worthy of a "discovery".

However, just because of what day it is... I have to say that possibly, the US got there first but weren't sure about it:

US sees stronger hints of Higgs

QuoteHints of the Higgs boson detected last year by a US "atom smasher" have become even stronger, scientists have said.

The news comes amid fevered speculation about an announcement by researchers at the Large Hadron Collider on Wednesday.

Finding the particle would fill a glaring hole in the widely accepted theory of how the Universe works.

This 30-year hunt is reaching an end, with experts confident they will soon be able to make a definitive statement about the particle's existence.

I remember my very first day in my college Physics 101A, when the lecturer announced,

"All things are bosons, leptons, and quarks."

There was a report that Higgs called it that God-damn particle, out of frustration, but the journal edited the damn as being an expletive.

Quote from: Cindy James on July 17, 2012, 03:44:53 AM
There was a report that Higgs called it that God-damn particle, out of frustration, but the journal edited the damn as being an expletive.

He did because the evidence of the existence of that particle was elusive.  Other scientists had used that term to express frustration.  A biologist in the early 70's whose name eludes me, called the landing of the Soviet probes Mars 2 and 3 on Mars "That goddamn penitentiary for bugs" because of the possible contamination of that planet, skewing any results from future probes.  One of the post WWII US recording tape pioneers, probably Richard H. Ranger, called recording tape "A goddamn sandpaper on a roll" due to the erosive effects over time on the record/play heads.  I replace a lot of those in my career to observe different erosion patterns caused by the tape and the different pressures caused by the felt pad pressing the tape against the heads. 
  Joelene

"They're waiting for you, Gordon...In the Test Chamber."

"Ahh...mmm....There seems to be a slight fluctuation...ah well, it's probably normal."

I'm pretty happy about this, x3 One of my favorite books I read in high school was "The God Particle" written by Lederman. It was a great read and I recommend it to anyone who doesn't fully understand this subject.