Sunday 15 July 2012

And God said let there be particles

We learnt last week that the Higgs Boson particle is no longer so illusive - it actually exists.  It really is a momentous discovery and from here on the science of quantum physics is going to become very interesting, because this is the starting pistol that will send scientists flying off in all sorts of directions to find its brother and sister particles, and from there perhaps make discoveries that will reveal the secrets of creation and the very fabric of existence.  For me there is something almost spiritual about this stuff; the mystical quality of the quantum world and its various strange properties: particles that seemingly blink in and out of existence, the many peculiar dimensions of space and time, the fact that there may even be other universes out there; somehow these anomalies have a deep significance; perhaps because of the way it tells us everything in the universe is somehow connected.  I suppose the Higgs Boson field is a kind of cake mixture that binds everything together - you, me, the earth we stand on, the very air we breathe and the stars and planets and myriads of galaxies spinning away out there.  I don't feel either that there has to be a conflict of interest between religion and science when it comes these kind of revelations, after all belief is personal to each individual and I feel the more we know about the world around us the closer it can bring us to a truth, whether its a bald scientific fact or a deeper connection with your God (whoever he or she may be).  Anyway I believe the more we know about the universe we all share, the more enriched our lives are; knowledge after all is wisdom.  Time for a joke I think: 'The Higgs Boson walks into a church.  The priest says we don't allow Higgs Boson's in here.  The Higgs Boson says, but without me how can you have mass?'

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