Search for the " Higgs Bosun " !

The mysteries of science intrigue many people.  Usually, the objective being sought can be clearly understood.   Perhaps a cure for cancer ?    Perhaps unlocking the hydrogen content of H20 to give us cheap car fuel ?

A story from Europe leaves most of us bemused.   The world's top scientists have spent hundreds of million of dollars creating a twenty-seven kilometre tunnel under the land on the border of France and Switzerland.  This is called the " Large Hadron Collider " and it's purpose is to speed particles of matter in opposite directions until they reach nearly the speed of light - and then smash them together in a head-on collision.

Science admits that it is not clearly certain what will happen.   Some people think that there is a possibility of setting off a chain reaction similar to nuclear fusion, while others think this could create more " Black holes " in space and these could endanger planet earth.

So - why are they doing this ?   What do they hope to discover ?

It seems that they are looking for the " Higgs Bosun ".    This seems to reach back into the very laws of physics that existed at the time of the " Big Bang " that created the universe.  Current theory has it that at the moment of that colossal explosion a physical change occurred that gave some particles of matter their mass.
Without mass, matter can not exist.  It has to have some form of substance - and that substance is termed - mass.

In 1960, Physicist Peter Higgs developed a theory that something that became known as the " Higgs Bosun " momentarily appeared for a fraction of a second and conferred the missing mass, and then disappeared.   Science hope that using this Large Haldron Collider to create a mini replay of the Big Bang may prove or disprove that theory.

The strange thing is that this Higgs Bosun will not actually be seen.  It is far too small to be visible to the naked eye, even through the amazing tools of reproduction that exist today.  Science will be satisfied if it can be sensed, thus proving the theory and allowing research to make sense of the universe and decide what constitutes " Dark Matter " !

Now, here is another mystery !   What is " Dark Matter ? "    Like the Higgs Bosun, it is something that can not be seen, but science think that it makes up most of the universe.   The planets swim in a sea of dark matter and it contains numerous " black holes " that suck the life out of anything that approaches.

At that point, most of us mere mortals shut our minds down and go back to playing :" Dungeons and Dragons ".   Hopefully, one day one of the gaming companies will convert the Higgs Bosun into some sort of computer game.  Until that happens, it is better that we do not know what is happening deep under the turf of the French border.    The workings and mystery of the Large Haldron Collider and the people in white coats who work it is far beyond the world in which we live !

And we thought computer games were scary !