Peter Higgs, Who Proposed the 'God Particle' Dies at 94
The Facts
Theoretical physicist Peter Higgs died in Edinburgh on Monday following a brief illness at age 94. Higgs predicted the existence of the Higgs boson in 1964.
The 2013 Nobel Prize winner died "peacefully" at home, according to the University of Edinburgh, with the institution's Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson describing Higgs' work as "pioneering."
The Spin
Narrative A
Peter Higgs's life must be celebrated. Thanks to him, science has propelled in its exploration of the most fundamental questions of modern physics — even, perhaps, existence itself. An exceptional physicist and teacher, his work continues to allow deep insight into unexplored scientific realms. Higgs leaves behind a lasting legacy in the scientific community.
Narrative B
The Higgs boson was discovered in 2012. Since then, however, no new particles have been discovered at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. This has caused some scientific observers to worry if the heyday of the collider is now behind us. It remains to be seen if Higg's accomplishments will be seen as an apex of an era of discovery, or if new, more subtle lessons about the nature of the universe can be learned even if no more new particles are ever found.
