archive
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Dispatch From CERN: Which Higgs?
February 27, 2013 Scientists have found a Higgs-like particle, a key component in modern physics theory. But is it the Higgs particle, or a new one, part of a more complex model?
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Big Science Paves The Way Forward
January 30, 2013 In the wake of the Hubble Space Telescope and the discovery of the Higgs boson, should we continue to pursue big science projects, in spite of their costs? Commentator Marcelo Gleiser says it's a no brainer.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Recreating The Universe In The Lab
December 5, 2012 Can scientists create universes in the lab? Although that may not be possible, physicists can recreate the young universe in high energy particle collisions. Recent results indicate that the young universe may be stranger than anticipated.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
When Is A Theory Wrong?
November 21, 2012 Theories are the life-blood of science; but ruling them out may be harder than you think. And letting a cherished model fall on the trash heap of history is even harder, yet. Take "supersymmetry" from the world of particle physics, for example. When might we see its demise or its vindication?
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
The Higgs: What's The Big Deal?
July 4, 2012 Count your money or look to the stars, either way, the discovery of the Higgs is significant and a significant step forward for humanity.
The Two-Way
CERN Discovers A New Particle, Likely The Higgs Boson
July 4, 2012 The Higgs, credited with giving particles mass, was the missing piece of the Standard Model of physics. Without it, the world would be a massless mess of photons flying at light speed.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Will Fermilab Announce Real Higgs Results Today?
July 2, 2012 Scientists at the Tevatron may be announcing their own results on the Higgs search today.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
Is 'Big Science' In Trouble?
May 9, 2012 In a time of budget woes, how much should a country invest in basic science research? Commentator Marcelo Gleiser says a country that stops investing in basic research compromises its future.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
The Big 'Maybe': What The 'God Particle' Hunt Tells Us About Science
December 13, 2011 The Higgs might be found. The Higgs might not be found. After all that time and all that effort, the Higgs might not exist in the energies we can probe or, might not exist at all. More data, more observation will eventually give us the answer.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
A Great Mystery Comes Into Focus: Antimatter Trapped For 16 Minutes
June 7, 2011 The strange existence of anti-matter and its radical imbalance as a cosmic constituent is a fundamental mystery that has persisted for eight decades. We may finally be poised to understand not only the universe that is but also the universe that might have been.
13.7: Cosmos And Culture
The God Particle: A Disclaimer
April 27, 2011 Rumors that the Higgs particle (aka the God particle) has been found teach us how large-scale science projects work and how science advances
