The world could end at any minute if scientists continue to meddle with the "God Particle." This is what Professor Stephen Hawking claims in his latest book, Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space. What exactly is the "God Particle" and could it really lead to the destruction of the universe?
The "God Particle" is officially known as Higgs boson, named after its founder British physicist Peter Higgs, which is an elementary particle of the Standard Model of Particle Physics. Discovered in 2012, Higgs boson was viewed as the "glue" that kept the Universe stuck together. Through the help of large colliders, scientists were able to discover the particle.
Scientists continue to experiment with Higgs boson, the "God Particle." However, Professor Stephen Hawking claims this could lead to catastrophic events. The particle would become "megastable" if enough energy was exerted on it. This action would expand the particle at the speed of light which could cause the collapse of space and time.
"The Higgs potential has the worrisome feature that it might become metastable at energies above 100bn giga-electronvolts. This could happen at any time and we wouldn't see it coming," claims the theoretical physicist in his book, Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space.
Not to worry though because Hawking claims such conditions would be highly unlikely. An accelerator needed to power up the particle would have to be "larger than earth" and is likely to be overly expensive given the "present economic climate."
As for Stephen Hawking's' book, Starmus: 50 Years of Man in Space includes a number of lectures done by astronomers and scientists. Well-known names include Buzz Aldin and Neil Armstrong. The book is set to be released by October 23.
Hawking's claim on the "God Particle" causing the destruction of the universe is not the first. In 2006, Hawking claimed that global warming could cause Earth to become like Venus with sulfuric acid rain. In 2010, Hawking proclaimed that the end of mankind would be due to an alien invasion. Lastly in 2012, the professor stated that a man-made virus would potentially kill all of humanity.
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