The Higgs Boson: The Particle That Gives Mass

The Higgs boson is nicknamed the “God particle” for its role in shaping the universe.
It was predicted in the 1960s by Peter Higgs and others to explain why particles have mass.
The Higgs field, spread throughout space, interacts with particles to give them mass.
Without the Higgs field, atoms, stars, and life itself couldn’t exist.
The Higgs boson is a ripple in this field—its quantum manifestation.
In 2012, scientists at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider finally discovered the Higgs boson.
Its discovery confirmed the last missing piece of the Standard Model of physics.
The Higgs boson is extremely unstable, decaying into other particles almost instantly.
Detecting it required smashing protons together at near-light speeds.
Studying the Higgs may reveal physics beyond the Standard Model, like dark matter and new forces.