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Aliens Among Us...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 8, 2016 at 10:38am
See "into glass" link.


Topics: Biology, Planetary Science, SETI, Space, Space Exploration


Tardigrades are fascinating creatures. Not only are new species being found in Antarctica and Maine, they're near indestructible. The latest is when it really gets rough, they can turn themselves into glass. I think we'll find them on Mars and other planets in our own solar system. I think anything this adaptable and tough can live places WE can't! Most species have about 1% "foreign DNA," usually from ingestion of food stuffs and evolution: tardigrades have 17%.

I applaud the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and life on other worlds. I think with a simple microscope, we might have missed the obvious ones in front of us.

Related links:

IFL Science: Tardigrades
Extreme Tech: Tardigrades, already impossible to kill, also have foreign DNA,
Jessica Hall

Read more…

Two For One...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 7, 2016 at 7:03am
Image source: Space.com


Topics: Astronomy, NASA, Planetary Science, Space Exploration


On Friday (Jan. 8), the planet Venus will appear to pass close by Saturn, making this a rare opportunity to see two planets at the same time in a telescope's narrow field of view.

During the planetary encounter, Venus will appear to pass just 5 arc minutes north of Saturn. That means the distance between the two planets will appear to be a mere one-sixth of the diameter of the moon, small enough to fit in the eyepiece of a powerful telescope.

In a lifetime of observing the skies, I have seen such a close conjunction of two planets only two or three times. With the naked eye, even sharp-eyed observers will be hard pressed to separate the two points of light.

Space.com: Venus Shines Near Saturn in Dazzling Display This Weekend, Geoff Gaherty

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Martian Concrete...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 6, 2016 at 7:12am
Figure 13 (paper): LDPM simulation typical crack propagation in (a) unconfined compression test and (b) splitting
(Brazilian) test


Topics: Civil Engineering, Mars, Materials Science, NASA, Planetary Science, Space Exploration


TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: There is growing interest in the goal of sending humans to Mars. Various space agencies have begun to study the numerous problems such a mission would present, not least of which is protecting humans during the journey.

But once humans arrive on the red planet, they will require high quality buildings in which to live and work. They can take certain structures with them but this can only be a temporary solution. The first colonizers will quickly have to find a way to build structures using the planet’s own resources. But how?

Today we get an answer thanks to the work of Lin Wan and pals at Northwestern University. These guys have worked out how to make Martian concrete using materials that are widely available on Mars. And, crucially this concrete can be formed without using water, which will be a precious resource on the red planet.

The key material in a Martian construction boom will be sulphur, says the Northwestern team. The basic idea is to heat sulphur to about 240 °C so that it becomes liquid, mix it with Martian soil, which acts as an aggregate, and then let it cool. The sulphur solidifies, binding the aggregate and creating concrete. Voila—Martian concrete.

Physics arXiv:
A Novel Material for In Situ Construction on Mars: Experiments and Numerical Simulations
Lin Wan, Roman Wendner, Gianluca Cusatis

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The Seventh Row...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 5, 2016 at 6:38am
Image source: Scientific American


Topics: Chemistry, Materiels Science, Periodic Table, Research, Science


Chemists and physicists have begun 2016 heavy with resolution—superheavy, in fact. Two days before 2015 came to end the guardians of the periodic table of the elements—the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry—announced that it was okay to add four new ones, filling out the seventh row. Atoms of each new element are packed with protons in their nuclei, giving the four atomic numbers of 113, 115, 117 and 118.

The permanent names of the new heavy foursome are as yet unknown. Right now they go by placeholders called ununtrium (113), ununpentium (115), ununseptium (117) and ununoctium (118).

Scientific American: 4 New Superheavy Elements Verified, Josh Fischman

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Ig Nobel...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 4, 2016 at 7:01am


Topics: Diversity, Diversity in Science, Nobel Laureate, Nobel Prize, Women In Science


The Ig Nobel is an actual "thing." From their own description:

The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people LAUGH, and then THINK. The prizes are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology.

Every September, in a gala ceremony in Harvard's Sanders Theatre, 1100 splendidly eccentric spectators watch the new winners step forward to accept their Prizes. These are physically handed out by genuinely bemused genuine Nobel Laureates.

CEREMONY: The 26th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will happen on Thursday, September 22, 2016, at Sanders Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. Tickets will go on sale in July.

It's mostly tongue-in-cheek obviously, but this article from Forbes caught my eye and reminded me of one I did in 2011 titled "Dark Matters" along the same vein.

The people I root for in the actual Nobel seem to never make it. Yet, in my and other's opinions, they're doing really great research and science that should be applauded, appreciated and lauded. Carl Sagan was so vilified when he was attempting to PROMOTE science via the original Cosmos - by other scientists - The Sagan Effect gives most caution and pause as to how much they'll enter the public sphere, if at all.

I've grown cynical, and not so sure that the Nobel Prize in its current format is the way to do so (I've given similar critique to the motion picture academy). It seems to me, the current format is contributing mostly to the old-boy system and "the big head."

The Nobel Prizes are not the final say in good science, and Nobel laureates are not necessarily the best scientists — much less the wisest human beings.

And like it or not, people listen to Nobel laureates when they speak, even when they are out of their areas of expertise. Sometimes the prize seems to go to the winners’ heads so much that they seem to lose it entirely. William Shockley, a co-discoverer of the transistor, and James Watson, who won the Nobel for discovering the structure of DNA, both used their reputations to promote very racist ideas. Most recently, Tim Hunt said some sexist and insulting things in front of a group of female Korean scientists — who had invited him to speak, no less.

One pointed excerpt by the author:

- Then there’s the bias toward European and American researchers, which is thankfully becoming less pronounced. However, historically it’s been a huge problem, and that’s not even including the antisemitism in the prize committee’s early years. No Nobel was given in 1921 to avoid awarding Albert Einstein. (He was grudgingly given the 1921 award the following year along with Niels Bohr’s 1922 prize, and even then antisemites fought his inclusion.) Racism in science is a very uncomfortable topic, but we need to face up to it, and the Nobel Prize hangs a lampshade on the extent we have yet to grapple with it.

Last year, we lauded Einstein for his contribution to the General Theory of Relativity; his coinciding birthday also as the nerdy "Pi day": 3/14/15, 9:25:53 am (3.141592553). This could all have been hidden and buried under a mound of antisemitism ignorance, not unlike the efforts in Texas to classify slaves as volunteer "workers," clearly in contradiction of their own publicly stated Articles of Secession, where variants of "slave" is mentioned over 20 times, as well as demonstrably faux denouncements of Africans.

I'm also inspired by Einstein's early stance on Civil Rights and friendship and activism with Paul Robeson. I think we unconsciously hold our Laureates to this standard, and are disappointed when they fall from Olympus; their Achilles heels quite evident.

We will fall as a nation and species under the weight of our own hubris.

Forbes: The Nobel Prize Is Bad And We Should Feel Bad, Matthew Francis

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You Can Submit Your Novel To Gollancz This January

Posted by Jason on January 3, 2016 at 8:49pm

Via http://io9.gizmodo.com/you-can-submit-your-novel-to-gollancz-this-january-1750689710

Got an unpublished science fiction, fantasy or horror novel? UK genre publisher Gollancz will be accepting un-agented submissions throughout January!

Starting January 4th (Monday!) through January 22nd, the publisher will be accepting novel submissions. Here’s the trick: you have to mail it in.

Here’s their criteria:

  • Submissions will be open 4th to 22th January 2016. Only submissions with valid postdates will be considered.
  • We will only be accepting PHYSICAL submissions.
  • We will only consider SF, Fantasy, Horror or YA Crossover novels. They must be complete and more than 80,000 words.
  • We will consider previously self-published works.
  • We will not consider works we have previously rejected.
  • We will not consider works sent in by agents, or by authors who already have representation – they can be submitted in the normal way.
  • We are not currently looking for short story collections or anthologies.

Please send:

  • The first 50 pages of your manuscript
  • A cover letter outlining the scope and concept of your work
  • A full synopsis (no more than 1 page, can be single spaced)

Format:

  • Double-spaced
  • Single or double-sided.
  • Please use standard fonts (comic-sans is liable to make our eyes bleed!)

Please address to:

The Gollancz Team
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London
EC4Y 0DZ

http://www.gollancz.co.uk/2015/10/gollancz-direct-submissions-january-2016/

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BioPunks - Sci-Fi Film Kickstarter Campaign

Posted by Royce Adkins on January 1, 2016 at 11:30pm

Hello Everyone,

Today I launched my Kickstarter campaign to fund a film I've been working on called "BioPunks"

Logline:
Three patients who unexpectedly gain enhanced abilities from undergoing an exclusive clinical trial designed to cure their neurological disabilities, must come together to destroy an unrelenting force bent on harnessing the source of their power for his own twisted agenda.

If you are interested in learning more about BioPunks, please visit my Kickstarter page here: http://kck.st/1UksRJB

If you would like to help bring my film to life, please support by donating and sharing with as many people as possible.

Thank you and I hope everyone is having a Happy New Year!

Royce

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Backfire Effect...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on January 1, 2016 at 10:11am
From #P4TC post: ET and Prayer Cloths


Topics: Commentary, Philosophy, Politics, Research, Science, SETI, Space Exploration


As I've read, originally the "backfire effect" was applied to how professional women were treated in the workplace, negative to be sure. Lately, it's been applied to our political discourse - up is down; out is in; logic is illogical, and reason be damned.

Humans don't like being wrong, and facts only grind their heels into the cement foundation of their own biased certainty. No matter what, we retreat from reality to the comfortable; we reject data for the surety of our own preconceptions.

Becoming aliens

Neel V. Patel posited an interesting question in his post: "Will Humans Ever Build Starships?"

Think for a moment - if you're in the camp of aliens visiting our somehow special planet out of literally billions of others over several parsecs of options - what it would take?

1. First and foremost, as implied by the Drake Equation, such a civilization needs to survive its own hubris to travel, let alone communicate.

2. Crowd funding wouldn't do, this would be a global, expensive effort on any planet.

3. It would have to be a compelling reason: avoiding extinction, profit, water; to merely "seek out new life and new civilizations" alone wouldn't cut it.

4. Leaving whatever environment and life you've grown accustomed to as "home" for something likely utterly and completely different...alien. This would be a special breed of interstellar explorers indeed.

5. The unlikelihood of warp drive in the foreseeable future, such a 0.1-c trip would be one way in distance and time, else coming back to the home world, the astronauts would find via time dilation most of their former friends and family buried.

Lastly, the astronauts would have to have a means of evaluating new information, jettisoning old information once new data was known, in short steeped in the Scientific Method, something in our current climate of science denial/rejection we're not capable of just yet. A backfire effect even in low Earth orbit could prove suicidal to a crew, let alone a joint mission with a more senior intelligence.

If there are intelligent aliens out there, they are proving it...by ignoring us.

Related links:

Brain Pickings: The Backfire Effect
Columbia Journalism Review: The Backfire Effect
Rational Wiki: The Backfire Effect
Slate: Can we build a Starship Enterprise in the Next 10 Years?
Space.com: Could We Build 'Star Trek's' Starship Enterprise?
You Are Not So Smart: The Backfire Effect

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Bubble Pen Lithography...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on December 31, 2015 at 10:38am
Schematic illustration of the pattern-writing process using an optically controlled microbubble on a plasmonic substrate and the logo of “UT-AUSTIN” written with 60 nm polystyrene beads. Courtesy: M Yogeesh


Topics: Biology, Carbon Nanotubes, Medical Physics, Nanotechnology, Photonics, Semiconductor Technology


A new “bubble-pen” lithography technique can be used to pattern colloidal and biological particles on solid-state substrates according to researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. The technique, which works by using laser-controlled microbubbles to create the patterns, will find a wide range of applications in microelectronics, nanophotonics and nanomedicine.

Photolithography is one of the main techniques available today to make micro- and nano-scale components for semiconductor devices. However, the problem is that these methods have inherent disadvantages. “Far-field" optical lithography, for example, is limited by the so-called diffraction limit of light, which means that it is extremely difficult to create features smaller than several hundred nanometres across. Techniques based on "near-field" scanning optical microscopy can overcome the diffraction limit by bringing the light source very near to the surface, but they are low-throughput and can only scan small areas at a time. Electron-beam lithography, although able to produce much smaller features, is also limited by the choice of working materials and substrates that can survive exposure to an electron beam.

The new bubble-pen lithography technique invented by Yuebing Zheng's team in collaboration with Deji Akinwande's and Andrew Dunn's groups in Texas uses a single low-power laser beam to generate a microbubble at the interface of a colloidal suspension of nanoparticles and a plasmonic substrate containing a network of metallic nanoparticles that interact strongly with light via localized surface plasmons (collective oscillations of electrons on a metal's surface). These metal particles act as efficient optical nanoantennas and can focus light to wavelengths dramatically below the diffraction limit. The microbubble produced captures and immobilizes the colloidal particles on the substrate and by directing the laser beam to move the bubble, the researchers can create different patterns from the colloidal particles with varying sizes and architectures.

Nanotechweb: Bubble-pen lithography patterns nanodevices, Belle Dumé

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Sufficient Verification...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on December 30, 2015 at 7:30am


Satellite imagery facilities at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards department. The IAEA will use imagery purchased from commercial satellite operators as part of its regime for verifying Iran’s compliance with the recent agreement to limit its nuclear activities.

DEAN CALMA/IAEA

Citation: Phys. Today 68, 12, 26 (2015); http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3014

Topics: Nuclear Physics, Nuclear Power, Politics


The International Atomic Energy Agency will use the latest surveillance technologies to ensure compliance.

As early as the end of this month, Iran says it will complete actions to dramatically scale back its nuclear program. Once those steps are completed and verified, the world’s declared nuclear weapons states and Germany, collectively known as the P5+1, are to begin lifting the crippling economic sanctions that were imposed on Iran beginning in 2006.

Experts are confident the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is sound. In a statement released in August, 77 nonproliferation specialists wrote, “The JCPOA is effectively verifiable. The agreement will put in place a multi-layered monitoring regime across Iran’s entire nuclear supply chain, including centrifuge manufacturing sites for 20 years, uranium mining and milling for 25 years, and continuous monitoring of a larger number of nuclear and nuclear-related sites.”

...3...2...1... counting down to the blowhards. Smiley Faces

Fear is a lucrative business, and the Internet allows some to sound fairly legit with a URL and a few techno tricks in Dreamweaver. Playing footsies with Armageddon is an insane venture, with only one unpleasant end.

There is a general disdain for expertise and facts in an era where the louder one continues bloviating, the more likely you are to be taken at face value. Our media is more concerned with ratings than journalism; the ideals of "holding power accountable" sacrificed on the Baal altar of Nielsen.
I unfortunately, have used Isaac Asimov a lot lately.

Also sadly, our political establishment in collusion with the business of war, where "peace on Earth and good will to all men" must be counter to the business model. After all, profits go up in this country after every mass shooting, navel-gazing, hand-wringing nothing; the arsenal at ISIS/ISIL's disposal didn't just "drop out of the sky."

I wish the effort well as anyone sane should. "Duck and cover" should be a quaint part of our history of the previous century...not rediscovered.

Physics Today: Experts say Iran nuclear agreement is sufficiently verifiable
David Kramer

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Sunset...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on December 30, 2015 at 7:28am
Light-based technologies wowed the crowds at Lightfest in Birmingham, UK, a celebration of light in science, art, technology and culture held in conjunction with IYL 2015. Visit Physics World Showcase: Light to see a video of the event and other light-themed videos.


Topics: Lasers, Optical Physics, Optics


The International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015) will soon draw to a close, in a year that has seen thousands of events celebrating the science and applications of light in more than a 100 countries worldwide. Officially launched in January at the headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, IYL 2015 has involved more than 100 partners from 85 countries – including the Institute of Physics, which publishes Physics World.

A range of international and national events have been held, touching on light in everything from archaeology and communications to medicine and the arts. The Light: Beyond the Bulb project, for example, has put the science of light into public settings around the world, such as parks, metro-stations, airports and libraries, while the Study after Sunset initiative promoted the use of solar-powered light-emitting-diode (LED) lanterns in parts of the world where there is little or no reliable source of light after dark. The iSPEX-EU campaign has used "citizen science" to measure air pollution with smartphones; while children, teachers, scientists and artists from more than 25 countries came together to write the "SkyLight" science opera.

Physics World: International Year of Light Draws to a Close, Michael Banks
#P4TC: International Year of Light

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RAM Matrix...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on December 28, 2015 at 2:41pm
Scientists are only beginning to advance memory-enhancing technology research, but even in this early stage, there are questions that deserve consideration. (Illustration credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock)


Topics: Biology, Science Fiction, STEM


I immediately thought of "Neo: I know Kung Fu!"... "Morpheus: Show me!" I was disabused of the notion after reading through the article.

I secondarily thought of the hand-wringing on what was-then referred to as the "information superhighway" AKA the Internet. At the time, you needed the ability to access it on a personal computer - not a laptop, but a desktop or tower, which at the time cost far more than it does now. Example: my old 486 was $2,500 with my wife's EMPLOYEE discount! Our laptop cost less than $400 now. Also, "apps" on cell phones were nonexistent, and you certainly couldn't surf the Internet on them. They were mostly analogue walkie-talkies with dial tone and horrendous service charges, not that that's gotten any better.

Humans are distinctly unique in Earthbound species: we define somethings as valuable and almost immediately craft barriers - real and artificial - to its access to further drive its value and profits. (Elephants and herds of buffalo at watering holes are far more democratic.) Also, as the article alludes, it is a mixed blessing in some memories that we've learned through pain aversion to block out completely. Perfect recall could be that and a curse.

Even if intelligence could be enhanced by an implant, I could see the backlash and the caveat emptor arising from the expert and provocateur alike. I am reminded of two quotes I thought apropos:

"There is no great genius without some touch of madness."

Aristotle

"Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence."

Edgar Allan Poe


`


In fall, DARPA announced a major success in its Restoring Active Memory (RAM) program. Researchers implanted targeted electrical arrays in the brains of a few dozen volunteers — specifically in brain areas involved in memory.

The researchers found a way to read out neural “key codes” associated with specific memories, and then fed those codes back into the volunteers’ brains as they tried to recall lists of items or directions to places. While the results are still preliminary, DARPA claims that the RAM technique has already achieved “promising results” in improving memory retrieval.

Intriguing as this implant is, it’s only the latest in an ongoing series of neurological techniques and gizmos designed to boost and sharpen memory. The effects and implications of these systems raise questions that are worth consideration.

Discover Magazine: 3 Implications of Memory-Boosting Devices, Ben Thomas

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afro futurization

Posted by Arnold L. Johnson on December 24, 2015 at 10:46am

Could never grow a big nappy halo, the genes never allowed it. I realized that words and pictures play havoc on experiencing reality. I'm neither tall or short, not strikingly handsome nor naturally disfigured. I am over critical in judgement trying to better what passes before my eye gates. I can not except the mimic in the mirror because he does everything backwards. Why do I experience everything in the first and third person and who is that illusive second person?

4 big garbage bags on the sidewalk. Damn city folk, why they put huge bags of sh*t so close to the bus stop. Gotta stink, gotta.........the bus came, the bags stood up got on the bus.............

Afro, the word means many things to many people. Coupled with Futurism, it encompasses everybody from one drop of negro blood to folks who embody the core of the planet. What strikes me is the lack of material culture. It's not really a design style but I've seen elements of Steampunk from sticks to chrome and fashion from military to angel garb. You don't own nothing in this present world but dreams. As if poverty of materialism is a forced asceticism. Some of us lament it, some rock the hell out of it. It is a science of personality and personalization. That illusive second person.

I am shy and unaccustomed. Walking to the podium with well fussed over words on a script. I sputter and stutter before my lips began to move. I stare at the crowd and apologize excusing myself. I turn, pull out a half mask appliance and apply it to my face. There is a rumble in my head as the transformation takes place. The thoughts in the que are flushed and another person, that second person comes forth. The first person still agassed screams "What do we do now?", the third strains to see the script, out of focus now. That second person with a glint of an ageless sage whispers to his entourage "Improvise". He says the first word and builds a tale, weaving the body with a few choice expressions and gestures that link to the attentive and slaps the distracted................it all echos into a void interrupted by applause, whistles and "yeah, Yeah!" I remove the appliance and become one of them again. They ask did he leave already, we wanted to meet him.

The powers that be are trying to kill him, her, it, the improv. When jazz and hip-hop became canned they thought they nailed us. Afrofuturist come from all their various schools of mind, the improvs. This is the last bar. They channeled and corraled everyone including the psychics, all accept the improvs. The Improvs will transform the world, always have, always will. Here's to the Afrofuture! Spill your best content, ref your script (if you must), quantum-improvious!!

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Yotta Years...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on December 18, 2015 at 7:27am
The Borexino detector comprises 300 tonnes of an organic liquid that is viewed by 2212 photomultipliers. The Borexino detector has not seen evidence for electron decay (Courtesy: Borexino Collaboration)


Topics: Chemistry, Electron Configuration, Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Theoretical Physics


Yotta is the largest decimal unit prefix in the metric system, denoting a factor of 1024 or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. It has the unit symbol Y. The prefix name is derived from the Ancient Greek οκτώ (októ), meaning "eight", because it is equal to 10008. Wikipedia

The best measurement yet of the lifetime of the electron suggests that a particle present today will probably still be around in 66,000 yottayears (6.6 × 1028 yr), which is about five-quintillion times the current age of the universe. That is the conclusion of physicists working on the Borexino experiment in Italy, who have been searching for evidence that the electron decays to a photon and a neutrino; a process that would violate the conservation of electrical charge and point towards undiscovered physics beyond the Standard Model.

The electron is the least-massive carrier of negative electrical charge known to physicists. If it were to decay, energy conservation means that the process would involve the production of lower-mass particles such as neutrinos. But all particles with masses lower than the electron have no electrical charge, and therefore the electron's charge must "vanish" during any hypothetical decay process. This violates "charge conservation", which is a principle that is part of the Standard Model of particle physics. As a result, the electron is considered a fundamental particle that will never decay. However, the Standard Model does not adequately explain all aspects of physics, and therefore the discovery of electron decay could help physicists to develop a new and improved model of nature.

Physics World: Electron lifetime is at least 66,000 yottayears, Hamish Johnston

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Higgs Kin...

Posted by Reginald L. Goodwin on December 17, 2015 at 6:58am
Feynman Diagrams Depicting Possible Formations of the Higgs Boson. Image Credit: scienceblogs.com, astrobites


Topics: CERN, Higgs Boson, Particle Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Theoretical Physics

Nature


The two experiments that discovered the Higgs boson in 2012 have sensed an intriguing if very preliminary whiff of a possible new elementary particle. Both collaborations announced their observations on 15 December, as they released their first significant results since completing a major upgrade earlier this year.

The results largely matched a rumour that has circulated on social media and blogs for several days: that both the CMS and ATLAS detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) outside Geneva, Switzerland, have seen in the debris of proton-proton collisions an unexpected excess of pairs of photons carrying around 750 giga electronvolts (GeV) of energy combined. This could be a tell-tale sign of a new particle — also a boson, but not necessarily similar to the Higgs — decaying into two photons of equal mass. It would be about four times more massive than the next heaviest particle discovered so far, the top quark, and six times more massive than the Higgs. [1]

New York Times Science


Does the Higgs boson have a cousin?

Two teams of physicists working independently at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, reported on Tuesday that they had seen traces of what could be a new fundamental particle of nature.

One possibility, out of a gaggle of wild and not-so-wild ideas springing to life as the day went on, is that the particle — assuming it is real — is a heavier version of the Higgs boson, a particle that explains why other particles have mass. Another is that it is a graviton, the supposed quantum carrier of gravity, whose discovery could imply the existence of extra dimensions of space-time. [2]

1. LHC sees hint of boson heavier than Higgs, Davide Castelvecchi
2. Physicists in Europe Find Tantalizing Hints of a Mysterious New Particle, Dennis Overbye

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