The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)announced on July 4 that scientists at the international organization have found a new subatomic particle that could be the Higgs boson, a theoretical particle that could explain the origin of mass.
The apparent discovery of the Higgs boson fills a hole in the Standard Model of particle physics for investigating the ultimate force and matter in our universe. While it represents a monumental achievement in particle physics, it should be heralded as the beginning of new research that will lead to a deeper understanding of the origin and secrets of the universe.
The Standard Model predicted the existence of 18 kinds of particles. The Higgs boson was the last of these particles to be discovered. Scientists around the world have spent more than 40 years seeking to discover it. Two international teams of some 6,000 scientists, including Japanese researchers, made the discovery by using the Large Hadron Collider, a 27-km circumference particle accelerator, which is buried underground and located on the border of France and Switzerland.