Science News

In December last year the Large Hadron Collider at CERN found evidence for the notorious Higgs boson — a subatomic particle whose existence is predicted by theoretical physics but which has never been spotted in the flesh. Also termed the god particle, the Higgs boson is said to have given other particles their mass. But how did it do that? In this two-part article we explore the so-called Higgs mechanism, starting with the humble bar magnet and ending with a dramatic transformation of the early Universe.

Part 2: http://plus.maths.org/content/secret-symmetry-and-higgs-boson-part-ii

How do you define beauty? What are the factors that govern whether or not you find someone physically attractive? This question has plagued philosophers and artists for millennia. And now, modern scientists think they're close to finding that magical formula for physical beauty. Aside from the obvious cues,--youthfulness, smooth skin, bright eyes--it pretty much all comes down to math.