http://news.yahoo.com/episode-17--wounded-veteran-relearns-to-use-his-hand.htmlScientists working at the world's biggest atom smasher plan to announce Wednesday that they have gathered enough evidence to show that the long-sought "God particle" answering fundamental questions about the universe almost certainly does exist.
But after decades of work and billions of dollars spent, researchers at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, aren't quite ready to say they've "discovered" the particle.
The "God particle" is a popular name for the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle that is theorized to give other particles their mass. It was first proposed by physicist Peter Higgs in the 1960s.
The "God particle" was found through experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator in Switzerland. Scientists observed the decay of other particles into Higgs bosons, providing evidence for its existence.
The discovery of the "God particle" helps to confirm the Standard Model of particle physics, which describes the fundamental building blocks of the universe. It also provides insight into the origins of mass and the fundamental forces of nature.
No, the term "God particle" is a nickname given to the Higgs boson by physicist Leon Lederman in his book "The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?" It is not related to any religious beliefs or proof of a deity.
The discovery of the "God particle" opens up new opportunities for research and further understanding of the universe. It also has potential applications in technology, such as in the development of new medical imaging devices.