In the news: Teaching resources
Higgs boson discovery 'a milestone in our understanding of nature'
The Higgs boson particle is thought to have been found in the Large Hadron Collider at Cern, scientists have announced.
The particle, also dubbed the "God particle", is a key component of the Standard Model of particle physics.
It has been posited that the Higgs boson gives mass to the universe and that it came into being a trillionth of a second after the big bang that began the universe.
Rolf Dieter Heuer, director general of the lab at Cern said that scientists "have reached a milestone in our understanding of nature" with the probable discovery of the particle.
Peter Higgs, professor emeritus of physics at the University of Edinburgh, was part of the team that predicted the existence of such particles in the 1960s. He said he was "astounded" with the speed at which the results had emerged confirming the existence of the particle that bears his name.
"I never expected this to happen in my lifetime and shall be asking my family to put some champagne in the fridge."
Related resources
- Find out about the Higgs Boson and the mechanism that causes fundamental particles to have mass with this video from The Cassiopeia Project.
- This lesson plan requires students to apply their knowledge of charged particles and fields.
- This resource can be used to promote discussion about the Big Bang theory in a community of enquiry.
- An introduction to particle accelerators for low energy to the latest synchrotrons, including cyclotron calculations.
Further news resources
- Help your pupils understand the features of the front page of a newspaper.
- Get students creating their own news report with this step-by-step guide
- A sociological and media perspective on what makes an event 'newsworthy'.
- Help pupils to write their own TV news broadcast with this handy PowerPoint.
- A scheme of work to help students structure news stories.
In the news this week
China's first female astronaut has returned to Earth after spending nearly two weeks in space.
High street banking groups Lloyds and the Royal Bank of Scotland are under investigation as part of a major inquiry into the alleged manipulation of interest rates.
One in twenty adults has taken illicit substances, with the number expected to rise to one in four over the next four decades, according to a new report.
Centre Court was once more playing host to the cream of tennis talent as the 126th Wimbledon got underway at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
