The discovery of the God particle: what it means for the average person

With the announcement of the discovery of the God particle, many non-science enthusiasts may view this as a minor event. However, when one looks at the discovery from the perspective of history, the magnitude of the God Particle discovery can be properly appreciated.

“If man were destined to fly, he would have wings!” Sounds familiar? That was the mantra of ordinary people when the Wright brothers had the first successful airplane flight on December 17, 1903. But now, in the 21st century, no one would deny that this event changed the world and humanity forever. Today, one can travel to the most remote places on earth in just a few hours.

And just as the invention of the airplane changed World Wars I and II, the advent of the military’s “hypersonic” warplanes will again change the face of global conflict. Furthermore, removing the plane and humanity has lost a whole series of technologies that have been discovered as a result of the science of flight. This would of course include computer technology, space exploration and, dare I say it, the smartphone in your pocket.

And how about this famous quote; “I don’t know anything about the DNA! But I knew before the trial started that the man was innocent!” Such was the laughable expression of a jury at the OJ Simpson trial just after Mr. Simpson was acquitted of the murder of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman, just sixteen years ago from the date of this writing.

Although prosecutors in that case presented what many today would argue was irrefutable DNA evidence of Mr. Simpson’s guilt in the murder, the technology at the time was so new that the average person on the street, that is, the juror who “I don’t know anything” couldn’t grasp the implications of the truth.

However, at the beginning of this second decade of the 21st century, the medical field is actively involved in the genetic manipulation of DNA for the treatment of cancer and other ailments. As an example, girls, their daughters and granddaughters are being given a series of vaccines that are believed to eliminate cervical cancer in adulthood. Do you think it’s important for you to know that the way this is accomplished is through changing the DNA of your loved ones?

In fact, through Genetically Modified (GM) Foods, Tom and Nita Horn point out in their book Forbidden Doors that Dr. Arpad Pusztai and then scientist Irina Ermakova (whose findings were later corroborated by the International Journal of Biological Sciences) discovered that genetically modified (GM) foods had surprisingly negative effects on the health of test rats, including the deterioration of all animal organs, atrophied livers, altered cells, testicular damage, altered sperm count, shorter life expectancy, and cancer development. This damage, I suggest, can only be done on the basis of altering the DNA of these animals. However, this same genetically modified food is being consumed by human populations in general as of this date. And so GM crops grown for food are today altering the DNA of unsuspecting ordinary citizens like you and me. While that’s a different discussion, the point is: ignorance is not bliss.

Although we may not understand the science and its implications, the discovery of the God Particle will one day have significant effects on humanity, good and bad. And those effects will be far-reaching.

The God Particle, also known as the Higgs Bosen, has long been considered the Holy Grail of particle physics. It is a hypothetical massive elementary particle that is predicted to exist in the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. The search for the God Particle has been ongoing at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), in Geneva, Switzerland. The experiments take place nearly 600 feet below ground through a nearly 17-mile-long circular-beam tunnel. Is it your main job? By crushing subatomic particles, of course!

Sparing you the technical details behind the theory, the Higgs Bosen, also known as the God Particle, is believed to be the glue that holds all things together. Understanding this tiny subatomic particle is said to be the key to understanding why everything (and I mean everything, from humans like you or me, to the computer you’re looking at, to the building you’re sitting on, etc., etc.) ) have mass Surprisingly, this is the only theory of the standard model of particle physics that has not yet been observed or tested.

So what does all this mean to you… the average person? In answer to that question, let me ask; Does the atomic bomb mean anything to you? Does nuclear power mean anything to you? Not really? Well, how about that chest X-ray, CT scan, or MRI that you or someone you know recently received? Does that mean something to you?

The fact is that although this science may seem far removed from your everyday life, at the speed of technological advances, it could mean a lot to you, your children or your grandchildren in the very near future.

The changes in our lives in this decade have been possible thanks to scientific progress. So these advances, both good and bad, are bound to disrupt our unscientific lives in very real ways. Although we may not initially understand the science behind these advances, it would do us good to learn more about the God Particle and thus its potential effects on our future.

You still don’t believe me?

Tell that Smart Phone you carry. It didn’t even exist five years ago.

So… now that you’ve been warned about the impact on your life of the new discoveries emerging from the Large Hadron Collider and the God Particle, when asked about the God Particle, don’t be the one to say; “I don’t know anything about Higgs Bosen!”