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Richard Williams

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CERN just announced the discovery of the Higgs particle, though early stages. If true what will this mean for the human race?

The 4th of July will now be known for the discovery of the Higgs Boson. It is potentially the biggest and most significant discovery ever made. As history has shown discoveries within the field of physics change the course of history and lead to exponential discoveries of new technologies. So how will this discovery change our daily lives?

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  • Steve Krasner

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    Jul 13 2012: I am shocked and amazed about finding the Higgs. Now what do we do with it?

  • Ruben DIAS

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    Jul 12 2012: Well, in response to Jeff Burritt: I'm my opinion, this discovery is about matter, substance, so it doesn't deny the existence of a Creator/ Designer once you can have a piece of wood (matter), and working with it giving to it, giving beauty and function to it. So the raw matter doesn't "talk" about a creator, that role is given to function of the final piece. The world is full of function. ADN is information that organizes matter, we, people, are "origami" made out of proteins. Mechanisms full of Function. All of that speaks to me about an intelligent mind behind the harmony on physics rules, bosons, electrons, atoms, molecules, ADN, proteins, tissues, bones, flesh, vegetables systems... just to think about...

  • Jeff Burritt

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    Jul 8 2012: It seems to me that this diminishes the area that a god/gods could exist; makes it easier to explain the universe without the input of a creator. One more gap filled so to speak. It's preaching to the choir and will not really bring about a massive switch (or even a small one) to atheist thinking, but it's interesting news all the same. Of course, the higgs we have may not be the higgs we think we have. There is quite a lot more research to do
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    Salim Solaiman 50+

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    Jul 6 2012: My feeling is it will change nothing in our daily lives soon or even upto predictable afterwards......still we will continue to fight for blind belief, still hunger will be there, war will be there and so on..........actually our these behaviors have been evident despite lot of past breakthrough inventions...
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    natasha nikulina 50+

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    Jul 6 2012: Richard,
    I'm afraid, your question is a bit premature, to say the least.There is no need to be a rocket scientist to read between the lines :
    "... HRolf Heuer, director of the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN )...:

    "As a layman, I think we have it. But as a scientist, I have to say, `"What do we have?' "

    So ,there are two interpretations you are to choose which one satisfies you best :)
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    Lejan . 30+

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    TED Translator
    Jul 6 2012: .

    We are all now assured, that we will not fall off this planet!

    That's quite relaxing to know... :o)
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    Marshall Barnes

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    Jul 6 2012: I'm just finally glad the suspense is over concerning Hawking's bet against the Higgs and my accepting it on the record. http://www.prlog.org/11914207-higgs-boson-announcement-shines-light-on-stephen-hawking-bet-and-marshall-barnes.html

    BTW, Krisztian, no, it's another victory for America because Hawking, a Brit, lost to Prof. Gordan Kane, an American at the UMich and me, also an American, and as anyone knows, the 4th of July celebrates the victory of America over Britain. I'd say we did pretty good, as we always will...
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    Fritzie Reisner 100+

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    Jul 5 2012: This discovery is a great advance in basic science and in particular in understanding the physical world and its origins. Practical applications, if that is what you are asking about, typically do not become apparent until long after. What often turns to great practical use earlier than the knowledge itself is the technology used in the inquiry. That is, the tools, both physical and analytical, that have been developed to test these questions will almost surely find practical application in unrelated fields, including technological enhancements of daily life.

    • Richard Williams

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      Jul 5 2012: Though this is slightly off the original question. But, what would be the next goal for physicist?
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        edward long 100+

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        Jul 5 2012: Here are nine unanswered questions:1) What is Dark Energy?2) What is Dark Matter?3) Why is there an Arrow of Time?4) Are there Parallel Universes?5) Why is there more Matter than Antimatter?6) What is the fate of the Universe?7) How does measurement collapse wave function?8) Is String Theory correct?9) Is there order in Chaos?
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        Fritzie Reisner 100+

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        Jul 5 2012: Your best avenue to learn what particle physicists at the LHC will look at next, other than verifying that this is the Higgs, is to do a search for "Beyond the Standard Model." You will find references, for example, to supersymmetry and to dark matter.
        The media coverage also addresses this question, though not in depth.
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    Stewart Gault 30+

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    Jul 5 2012: Not much so far, it just means our standard model is right and we won't know if the higgs is useful beyond giving things mass until they start testing it's properties.

    • Stuart McGuinness

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      Jul 5 2012: Not much? Confirmation of the Standard Model is THE most important scientific event of the 21st century so far. A Nobel for Peter, a $100 bet lost by Stephen and a whole bunch of string, brane, M theorists called to task. Get on with Q-gravity and stop spending our cash on pure math.
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        Stewart Gault 30+

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        Jul 5 2012: by not much I meant it hasn't changed the human race by much, it's very important yes, but it hasn't changed us.

        • Richard Williams

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          Jul 5 2012: Like Stuart McGuinness has said. I would imagine theoretical physicist are working around the clock right now. Working on the more obscure ideas like super symmetry, dark matter and more practically teleportation even discovering alternative universes? True obviously nothing practical quite yet but within a couple of years will technologies that we can only dream of at the moment be produced thanks to the discovery of the Higgs boson? What about religion? Considering it has the nick name 'God particle'? .....
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    Krisztián Pintér 200+

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    TED Translator
    Jul 5 2012: hehe screw americans. 4th of july, the higgs boson day!
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