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| Andre David of CERN giving his lecture on the Higgs Boson at the CS Auditorium, UP Diliman last January 29, 2014 |
It all started with the discovery of
fire. Then the candle was invented and through applied research man was able to
utilize the use of animal fat and bee’s wax to create oil lamps, which then led
to the discovery of electricity where the invention of light bulbs came about.
Upon further research, carbon filament, Tungsten filament and inert gas filling
came about. Electrical discharges in gases, known as plasmas were discovered
and then came the invention of the fluorescent tube and recently, light
emitting diodes (LED) were discovered and thus, LED light bulbs were invented. Without
these discoveries, there will be no inventions. Discoveries enable inventions that
can be ubiquitous which means that it is widely used and its presence is
extensive. Without fire, there will be no candles, and without candles there
will be no electricity and without electricity it is most likely that there
will be no gadgets and appliances. These discoveries are shaped by society as
it is hinged on the perceived value for man. Discoveries more often than not
stem from research with no direct practical purpose, no immediate profit or
gain, no clear path ahead and often have no support from society. But clearly
enough, these discoveries have risen to very important facets in history. It is
thus imperative that in order to make discoveries, societies must invest on and
support diverse research.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research known as CERN is a European research organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory. Established in 1954, the organization has twenty European member states plus Israel, the first non-European country granted full membership1 CERN is the birthplace of the World Wide Web which enables data and information sharing across the world possible. Other notable achievements of CERN include making GIS (geographic information system) data available on the grid. They have also developed Disaster Management schemes through planning of camp sites, aid routes and airstrip placements. Open access publishing was made available and granted anybody, anywhere and anytime access to CERN’s publications. Medical imaging in the forms of x-rays, positron emission tomography (PET) which is a more effective method in locating and viewing malignant lumps in the breast through PET mammography. CERN has also developed Medical Therapy methods, such as the Hadron therapy which is used in hospitals used to treat certain diseases. Climate forcings were also conceived and state of the art cloud chambers and cosmic rays were created. Cancer treatment is also an achievement of CERN through the development of superior technology.
The Higgs boson is an elementary particle recently discovered in CERN in 2012. It is an important discovery because it confirms the existence of the Higgs field. Just right after the big bang, the Higgs field had zero mass but as the temperature fell and reached a certain critical temperature, it grew and all particles interacting with the Higgs field gained mass. Particles such as the photon that do not interact with the field gained no mass. The Higgs boson or Higgs particle is the visible representation of the field, but whether or not the Higgs boson is the one predicted by the Standard Model, we are yet to find out. Support and investment in research is indeed important as research and discoveries lead to inventions and again inventions are of great value to man.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research known as CERN is a European research organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory. Established in 1954, the organization has twenty European member states plus Israel, the first non-European country granted full membership1 CERN is the birthplace of the World Wide Web which enables data and information sharing across the world possible. Other notable achievements of CERN include making GIS (geographic information system) data available on the grid. They have also developed Disaster Management schemes through planning of camp sites, aid routes and airstrip placements. Open access publishing was made available and granted anybody, anywhere and anytime access to CERN’s publications. Medical imaging in the forms of x-rays, positron emission tomography (PET) which is a more effective method in locating and viewing malignant lumps in the breast through PET mammography. CERN has also developed Medical Therapy methods, such as the Hadron therapy which is used in hospitals used to treat certain diseases. Climate forcings were also conceived and state of the art cloud chambers and cosmic rays were created. Cancer treatment is also an achievement of CERN through the development of superior technology.
The Higgs boson is an elementary particle recently discovered in CERN in 2012. It is an important discovery because it confirms the existence of the Higgs field. Just right after the big bang, the Higgs field had zero mass but as the temperature fell and reached a certain critical temperature, it grew and all particles interacting with the Higgs field gained mass. Particles such as the photon that do not interact with the field gained no mass. The Higgs boson or Higgs particle is the visible representation of the field, but whether or not the Higgs boson is the one predicted by the Standard Model, we are yet to find out. Support and investment in research is indeed important as research and discoveries lead to inventions and again inventions are of great value to man.
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higgs_boson
[2] http://home.web.cern.ch/about/physics/search-higgs-boson
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