looks like they've found the higgs boson or something very similar

[Neville Chamberlain]

The most obvious explanation is that it's a ball of lightning bouncing off a strut.

[thesonya]

yes, The most obvious explanation is that it's a ball of lightning bouncing off a strut.

[Nobody Soup]

when they announced the cern thing was being started I created a facebook account called higgs boson and tried to add loads of random people. my favourite thing was he was in a relationship with the universe and "it's complicated."

honestly, I thought this was grade A funny shit. literally no one else did though, I don't expect anyone here will either but I still really enjoy thinking about that giddy day.

[The Masked Unit]

I'll ask the same question I did when they built this thing: What exactly will this discovery allow us to do beyond just better understand how the universe works? I'm not saying that's an invalid goal in itself but... yeah I think I might be actually. No, on second thoughts I'm definitely not, but it'd be nice to get something tangible or even intangible out of it. A new type of metal or something.

[brat-sampson]

The Higgs discovery itself will be entirely a research goal with no real impact or technological applications. However the search for it has already pushed technology a hell of a lot and allowed for separate applications , it's own benefits etc. In the future, I guess who knows, but certainly I can't see the Higgs being as useful as say relativity (which allows for precise calculations used in GPS etc) or the breakdown of the atom (nuclear power/weapons etc).

It's just another element of the cosmos, albeit a very hard one to detect.

[The Masked Unit]

Thanks for the explanation.

[Marxist Bormann]

Don't be fooled m'brothers (innit). Once it is certain that these particles exist, certain people will be in there getting them all and hiding them again. Look what happened with ectoplasm and New Coke. Once a thing acquires a certain cache certain people act to corner the market in it. Do you want your car to have mass? Pretty useful property isn't it, sir? How are you going to stick to the road without mass? Oh dear, I'm afraid it's just gone up in price again. It would be terrible if your Lexus was to become notional, now wouldn't it?  Wake up, foreskin bearers!

[MojoJojo]

Well, finding it is sort of the boring result - if it hadn't have been there that would have meant the standard model was wrong and that could have led to a something exciting.

As it is, the standard model is correct (again) and we're stuck with the boring understanding of the universe that we more or less had before, which means no bustrips to Mars or hoverboards.

:-(

[brat-sampson]

Well there's still a chance it's something else, and even if it *is* the Standard Model Higgs it's dropped out a little lighter than they expected. Also they can then go on to measure all the other properties and whatever those imply about other things.

But yeah, Particle Physics was never really the go-to place for 'real-world applications' what with most of their discoveries being typically only in existence for fractions of a second at huge energy costs and inferred rather than observed...

[biggytitbo]

The higgs boson will have practical uses, they can capture a special energy it gives off and use it to improve freeview reception.

[BlodwynPig]

One small step towards that whistle, Biggy

[The Roofdog]

Does this mean the hover board will become a reality?

All you need to do is coat the bottom of a regular skateboard with special anti-Higgs paint.

[shiftwork2]

Reaction on the Telegraph comments:

[biggytitbo]

Sorry about that...was in a bad mood.

[Johnny Yesno]

But yeah, Particle Physics was never really the go-to place for 'real-world applications' what with most of their discoveries being typically only in existence for fractions of a second at huge energy costs and inferred rather than observed...

Not always the case. A particle physicist friend of mine worked on a quantum computing project, a research area that could transform computing.

[Marxist Bormann]

Not always the case. A particle physicist friend of mine worked on a quantum computing project, a research area that could transform computing.

He's playing right into Hymie's hands there, I'm afraid. Who wants uncertainty in computing? They love uncertainty because it makes room for reviewers and academics, jobs which they keep to themselves thank you very much North East London Polytechnic. 'Game Possibly Over' - no thanks.

[rudi]

It also explains why I've gained two stone in as many years. Thanks Captain Higgs!

[Johnny Yesno]

I see what you mean MB. Qubits? Fuck-you-bits, more like. 'King hell! They're rubbing our noses in it.

[Marxist Bormann]

I see what you mean MB. Qubits? Fuck-you-bits, more like. 'King hell! They're rubbing our noses in it.

Exactly. Pacman is about to collide with a ghost when a box appears into which they both disappear. Game appears to hang. Fuck off.

[brat-sampson]

Particle Physics isn't quantum computing ;) If we were talking about this story then sure, applications up the arse for a working quantum computer, but it's a rather different field usually based with states of light being manipulated in 'normal room' sized labs rather than the insanity of the LHC and it's energies.

EDIT: Sorry if I'm wrong, there might be some crossover but typically 'particle physics' is the whacking things together in giant tubes and sifting through the results. Quantum lab-based stuff is basically what I'm doing for my PhD and in practice it's totally different.

[NoSleep]

[NoSleep]

[Johnny Yesno]

Particle Physics isn't quantum computing ;) If we were talking about this story then sure, applications up the arse for a working quantum computer, but it's a rather different field usually based with states of light being manipulated in 'normal room' sized labs rather than the insanity of the LHC and it's energies.

EDIT: Sorry if I'm wrong, there might be some crossover but typically 'particle physics' is the whacking things together in giant tubes and sifting through the results. Quantum lab-based stuff is basically what I'm doing for my PhD and in practice it's totally different.

Perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick but he was messing around with cooling particles using lasers and magnets and making Bose-Einstein condensates, and then doing rudimentary computing operations.

Either way, I can't imagine he would have been doing what he was doing without all that other 'useless' work the atom-smashing kind of particle physicists had done before.

[brat-sampson]

Hah, sounds very similar to my line of work :) Comes from a completely distinct line of discoveries starting with the concept of laser cooling and theoretical stuff about what would happen to these atoms if you got them cool enough, but there's not of overlap with the particle smashers. One's trying to take the atoms and slow them (cool them) right down until they have unimaginably small amounts of energy (heat) while the other pretty much takes the atoms apart then smacks the constituent parts together at incredible velocities to generate enormous amounts of energy, hoping to see what falls out. Luckily my kind you can do in a room with some calibrated lasers and a vacuum chamber while the other takes an international collaboration etc etc.

Our contributions to society as of yet have been nil with potentially many in future if we can scale these things up or make them easier while the smashers have achieved huge amounts in progress of their eventual confirmation/elimination of some fundamental theories.

[The Masked Unit]

I'm not one for gossip but I've heard the Higgs Bosson takes it up the chutney.

[biggytitbo]

Apparently the Higgs Boson spread on a piece of toast is 'delightfully nutty'.

[Johnny Yesno]

Hah, sounds very similar to my line of work :)

Heh! Yes, it does. I will now put the thread down and step away from it...

[Danny Dyer]

quick message for the scientists,

nice one lads. cant wait to see it. have one on me.

[Johnny Yesno]

If you were the real Danny Dyer you'd know they're actually called boffins.

[alcoholic messiah]

I'll ask the same question I did when they built this thing: What exactly will this discovery allow us to do beyond just better understand how the universe works? I'm not saying that's an invalid goal in itself but... yeah I think I might be actually.

People like you make me sick. Sick. With your "will it improve my phone signal when I'm bodysurfing in the Mendips?"s, and your "ah, but it won't end world hunger though, will it? eh? eh?"s. This historic discovery could potentially lead to all kinds of as-yet unimagined applications (and I'm not talking about "apps" for your fucking limited edition Batman-themed iPhone).

Don't believe me? Well then, here's some words from the man himself to shame you out of your provincial mindset:

It's around for a very short time.

It's probably about a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second. I don't know how you apply that to anything useful.

It's hard enough with particles which have longer life times for decay to make them useful. Some of the ones which have life times of only maybe a millionth of a second or so are used in medical applications.

How you could have an application of this thing which is very short lived, I have no idea.

Ah, fuck.