Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider still can't find the elusive Higgs boson or "God particle" but have settled for a newly dubbed "Chi" particle.
Though not nearly as significant as the sought for God Particle, the Chi particle has been "hailed as the first clear observation of a new particle since the 17-mile underground accelerator opened for business in 2009."
The LHC had an early career as being somewhat notorious by it's several billions dollar cost, it's massive size, a string of early set-backs and malfunctions, and the general public unease that the colossal machine was rumored to have the energetic potential to produce "mini black holes."
The finding "provides a bit of validation and good publicity, desperately needed to help the public appreciate the value of the accelerator — which cost approximately $4.4B USD to build, and another billion or so to operate."
Despite the validation, Stephen Hawking remains the defacto winner of a $100 dollar bet that the famous God particle would never be discovered – possibly because, it doesn't exist.
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/22/2654785/lhc-Chi-b-3P-boson-discovered
http://www.dailytech.com/LHC+Researchers+Still+Cant+Find+Higgs+Boson+Settle+for+New+Chi+Particle/article23584.htm
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