Higgs Boson Particle Discovery May Help Reveal Dark Matter Secrets

[hue]

http://www.space.com/16444-higgs-boson-particle-dark-matter.html

The discovery of a new subatomic particle that is likely the elusive Higgs boson — a particle thought to give all other matter its mass — could be an important step toward uncovering the invisible stuff that makes up the majority of the universe, physicists say.

In a much-hyped announcement yesterday (July 4) from the world's largest atom smasher, the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, scientists reported evidence of a new "Higgs-like" particle with roughly 125 times the mass of the proton.

The researchers claimed a high level of certainty that the new particle is the long-sought Higgs boson, which is thought to answer how all other matter has mass. The long-sought-after Higgs is the missing link in the reigning theory of particle physics, known as the Standard Model, but finding the Higgs has even wider implications: It opens the door beyond the Standard Model for explaining the existence of dark matter, the mysterious substance widely thought to make up 83 percent of all matter in the universe.

[bemildred]

1. Well, it supports the standard model.

And since dark matter/energy has mass, the Higgs particle would be involved, since it is "thought to give all other matter its mass", something like gluons with the strong force, I suppose, so it makes sense that it could be a breakthrough IF they can find ways to work with it. If you can work with mass, that could lead to working with gravity, a BIG deal.