It made big news when, on July 4, 2012, scientists of the European nuclear research organization CERN announced with a 99.99 percent certainty that they had found the elusive Higgs boson, the last particle needed to confirm the theory of the Standard Model of particle physics.
"The discovery," says The Economist magazine, "puts the finishing flourish on the Standard Model, the best explanation to date for how the universe works—except in the domain of gravity, which is governed by the general theory of relativity" ("The Higgs Boson: Gotcha!" July 7, 2012, p. 71).
Of the 17 particles the theory predicted, 16 had been found. But it took decades and billions of dollars invested in the Large Hadron Collider, a 17-mile circular tunnel on the border of Switzerland and France, to finally pin down this last particle—the Higgs boson.
What is also remarkable is the precision of the calculations behind the discovery. The constants of the universe, the very laws governing physics as we know it, can be stated in mathematical equations to the point where the approximate location and mass of the Higgs boson were found. Yet elation has given way to a reluctant admission—and thoughts of throwing out what's been found.
As The Economist explains: "One problem [with the Higgs discovery] is that, as it stands, the [Standard] model requires its 20 or so constants to be exactly what they are to an uncomfortable 32 decimal places . Insert different values and the upshot is nonsensical predictions, like phenomena occurring with a likelihood of more than 100%" (p. 72, emphasis added throughout).
It is mindboggling to contemplate this incredible degree of required cosmic fine-tuning. Why would scientists be "uncomfortable" with it? Because it logically leads to the best explanation of the facts—that an ultra-intelligent Mind engineered and orchestrated all of it!
Read more: God, Science and the Bible: Higgs Boson: Evidence for Universe's Fine-Tuning - Good News Magazine | United Church of God
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