CERN plays down claims of Higgs particle discovery
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officials at the world's biggest particle physics lab are playing down claims of a major discovery after a leaked internal memo sparked excitement among science enthusiasts that the elusive Higgs-boson 'God particle' has been found.
A spokesman for the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, says the observation by scientists working at the $10-billion Large Hadron Collider "is probably nothing."
The brief note published anonymously on a Columbia University physics blog last week claims unexpected measurements from high-energy particle collisions mark "the first definitive observation of physics beyond the standard model."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CERN spokesman James Gillies says such results show up frequently but can often be dismissed after further scrutiny.