Posted on 07/08/2012 6:10:37 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Scientists in Switzerland announced on July 4 that they had finally made remarkable progress in their search for the Higgs Boson particle, a particle physicists believe holds the answer to how the universe came into being.
Some have suggested that the "God particle," as it is also called, could put an end to arguments supporting creationism, while others insist the hunt to prove the Big Bang theory actually complements the biblical account.
Here are some facts about the 40-year project and what its most recent "discovery" may mean.
WHAT'S THE FUSS AND ALL THE EXCITEMENT ABOUT?
Two teams of scientists in Geneva announced last week that their Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest particle accelerator of its kind, had led to observation of evidence of a new subatomic particle, a boson, that appears to match the Higgs Boson or "God particle." The project, going on for years, is funded by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), which also fronted a $10 billion bill for the LHC.
"We have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature," CERN Director General Rolf Heuer said in a statement. "The discovery of a particle consistent with the Higgs boson opens the way to more detailed studies, requiring larger statistics, which will pin down the new particle's properties, and is likely to shed light on other mysteries of our universe."
Here is a video from The Associated Press on the announcement of the "discovery" of a likely candidate for the Higgs Boson:
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO
WHAT IS THE HIGGS-BOSON PARTICLE?
The Higgs Boson particle is related to the Standard Model (SM) theory of particle physics and got its name from Peter Higgs, a Scottish scientist who helped in 1964 to develop the theory. A boson is a particular kind of subatomic particle that allows other particles to acquire mass. The SM describes how elementary constituents of the universe operate and interact. Particles related to the SM have all been identified — save for the Higgs Boson ... possibly until now.
The theory is centered on the idea that there is an invisible field (called the Higgs field) enveloping the entire universe and that a boson, as it moves through this field, picks up mass (clusters of other particles). Some common analogies used in the media to explain this idea include an image of someone (i.e., the Higgs boson) walking across a field of snow (i.e., the Higgs field) and accumulating snow and added weight on his boots (i.e., mass); another is to consider a swimmer moving through a pool; or, a popular person at a party attracting a following as she moves through the room.
Bottom line: Without the Higgs Boson particle, scientists theorize, life as we know it would not exist; identification of the Higgs Boson particle would essentially prove that the Standard Model is correct, which might then also provide other answers for similar questions — such as why certain forms of matter have differing sizes and shapes; the millions spent on the Large Hadron Collider would be justified; and CERN scientists might earn a Nobel Prize.
WHY IS IT SOMETIMES CALLED THE 'GOD PARTICLE'?
One explanation is that the term "God particle" arose as the media began reporting on the work of scientists looking for the elusive Higgs Boson, making it a pop culture reference. Some claim the name fits, as this particular particle is believed to be the building block of all life.
However, "God particle" is reportedly a term physicists avoid using, as it appears contradictory to their work. Peter Higgs, an atheist and for whom the particle is named, said in 2008 that he felt the term might be offensive to some. "I find it embarrassing because, though I'm not a believer myself, I think it is the kind of misuse of terminology which I think might offend some people," he said at the time.
Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman, an Illinois physicist, is credited with introducing the term "God particle," although he admitted that he originally referred to the Higgs Boson particle as the "goddam particle" due to the expense and challenges involved in looking for it. Writing in his 1993 book, The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?, Lederman reveals:
"This boson is so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive, that I have given it a nickname: the God Particle. Why God Particle? Two reasons. One, the publisher wouldn't let us call it the Goddamn Particle, though that might be a more appropriate title, given its villainous nature and the expense it is causing. And two, there is a connection, of sorts, to another book, a much older one ..."
The much older book Lederman notes is the Bible and its account in Genesis 11:1-9 of the Tower of Babel, which he re-interprets:
"And the whole universe was of many languages, and of many speeches. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Waxahachie, and they dwelt there. And they said to one another, Go to, let us build a Giant Collider, whose collisions may reach back to the beginning of time. And they had superconducting magnets for bending, and protons had they for smashing."
"And the Lord came down to see the accelerator, which the children of men builded. And the Lord said, Behold the people are un-confounding my confounding. And the Lord sighed and said. Go to, let us go down, and there give them the God Particle so that they may see how beautiful is the universe I have made."
— The Very New Testament, 11:1
WILL THE HIGGS BOSON "DISCOVERY" KILL RELIGION?
That has been the hope of some, while others have suggested that those with faith in God should not be shaken by developments coming out of CERN. The Huffington Post explores the possibility, while the BBC published a brief discussion on this debate, featuring composer Sonny Williamson and Professor Peter Atkins of Cambridge University:
CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO
HOW SOME CHRISTIANS HAVE RESPONDED
Dr. Larry Vardiman, writing for the Institute of Creation Research before the July 4 announcement, believes that although the Higgs Boson has no "specific religious connotations," its discovery may very well shed light on the biblical account of creation. Dr. Vardiman, a senior research scientist, Astro/Geophysics at the ICR, writes:
"It's legitimate to try and understand how mass, space, and time originated, but not if the processes we use to explain their origin don't involve the Creator. ... The Big Bang says that the universe began as an infinitesimal point and expanded outward, creating space and mass billions of years ago. Although this idea may seem consistent with the description of creation in Genesis 1:1, it is thought to have happened billions of years ago, while the Bible says it happened in one 24-hour day only a few thousand years ago. The theory is also presented as a natural event that didn't require God's involvement."
"Sadly, scientists who have the best seat in the house to observe God's handiwork through a microscope or a telescope often seem to be the first to deny that He is the Creator. Because they deny He is Creator, they fail to grasp the ultimate explanation for the world around us. Scripture says it best: 'For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse' (Romans 1:20)."
Dr. Jeff Miller, writing last year for Apologetics Press, claimed the discovery of evidence for the Higgs Boson might not prove anything (emphasis his own):
"Notice that without the existence of this theoretical particle, Big Bang theorists recognize that the Universe could not even form after the Big Bang theoretically occurred. Its existence would not prove that the Universe did form in the manner suggested by Big Bang Theory. Its existence would not even prove that the Universe could form after a hypothesized Big Bang occurred. Further, its existence would not prove that the Big Bang itself could occur at all."
"Its existence would not prove that matter could exist forever or pop into existence out of nothing, one of which must be true in order for the Big Bang to even get started. And its existence would certainly not prove that the scientific laws governing the Universe could write themselves into existence. However, without the existence of the particle, theorists know the Big Bang could not happen. Thus, discovery of its existence would not prove anything in the end, but only allow evolutionists to cross one of the many chasms that stand in the way of their theory even being considered a remote possibility. In other words, the Big Bang has not even reached square one in the realm of proof. It still lies firmly in the realm of impossibility. Bottom line: the Creation model still stands as the most logical explanation for the origin of the Universe — the model that matches the scientific evidence."
What do you think — will evidence of the Higgs Boson particle give the Big Bang theory strength and weaken arguments for creation? Or is the recent potential discovery something that everyone, both Christians and non-theists, can celebrate?
The Boson must be Catholic because without it you can’t have Mass.
There is a legend from the life of the famous Swiss mathematician, Leonhard Euler, an affirmed Christian, teaching mathematics in St. Petersburg, Russia.
However, his students had become fascinated by the atheism of the French philosopher Denis Diderot, also visiting St. Petersburg, and were thus less interested in studying advanced mathematics than in logically disproving the existence of God.
This annoyed Euler, so he was said to have written a complex closed mathematical formula on his blackboard, and told his students that it conclusively proved the existence of God, offering it with the idea that if they could logically disprove it, by the rules of mathematics, they would prove that God did not exist.
After analyzing every possible element of this formula, (which some have suggested was the quadratic formula), with possible flaws easily disproved by Euler, and failing miserably to find any error within, word got to Diderot, who went to check it out. However, since Diderot was not a mathematician, the formula was so much gibberish to him, so after much harrumphing, he left Russia.
I mention this to dispel any notion of the Higgs Boson proving or disproving anything, if it does indeed exist. For it is not for mere men to determine if God exists or not.
Robert M. Hazen, “Genesis: The Scientific Quest for Life’s Origins”
Belief in God without its relation to science really hobbles one in trying to explain either.
Interesting.
A poster theophile on the Post page writes,
The Holy grail for science is “The Unified Field Theory”, this “grail” would predict any outcome of science with certainty. The “ether theory”, and the “massXConstant,squared=energy” theory, for some was concluded with Einsteins MC2 demonstration with the bomb.
Ether theory is nothing new, Tesla’s florescent lights, radio, AC generation and transmission, were developed along it’s lines with uncanny predictability: From Teslas head, to a working model, with very little in between.
So the Ether theorists had some credibility after all! Better break out those 100 year old textbooks, and the Bible, there might be things we can learn without building giant hadron colliders
God is the God og the Higgs-Bosun too.
He knew it was there all along.
We should be celebrating. God has given us another piece of His puzzle for creation.
AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hee hee hee....[snort]
Funny how the atheists and the hip hollyweird types go out of their way to deny the existence of GOD. So they [say] they’ve found a sub-atomic particle - big deal. How do they explain that the particles, or anything, came into being?
Question: Who created the Higgs Boson particle??
Answer: God
Looks like you’re the one throwing the scientists down the memory hole.
In 1930 Eddington wrote an article about his work in the Monthly Notes of the Royal Astronomical Society.
In 1933 his article was published in the Annals of the Scientific Society of Belgium.
In 1934 Lemaitre won the Francqui Prize.
In 1941 he was elected to the Royal Academy of Sciences & Arts of Belgium.
In 1953 he won the very 1st Eddington Medal awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society.
In 1984 a book was published about his work.
In 2000 another book was written about his work.
In 2011 Nature ran an article on him and his work.
He’s mentioned in nearly every historical book and article about the early universe, including website posts.
Even PBS has him on their website (horrors).
The baseball or the LSD?
Now I have this vision of George Will sitting on a couch with his eyes dilated and bow tie slightly loosened and askew just saying "wow!" over and over again.
Both?
Many years (over 3 decades) ago, me and a buddy did some LSD and spent some time in a bar drinking beers and watching TV. We laughed ourselves to tears watching the antics of full-grown men swatting at a ball with a stick, then running their fannies off - and all so serious while at it. We attracted enough attention that severe paranoia set in and we had to leave.
. . . now what scientists are you referring to? I threw nobody down the memory hole, least of all Arthur Eddington (a Quaker), who was Lemaître’s colleague. Just give my post a re-read . . .
No, at best HB may explain HOW matter exists. That's all we can ever discern from science - HOW. Why is the exclusive province of God.
Paul wrote about it in the first century:
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Col: 1:17
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