The Higgs boson is confirmed, so what?

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In 1964, physicists including Peter Higgs theorized that a sub-atomic particle existed that would help explain the creation of the universe, a particle that gives everything in the universe mass. It became known as the Higgs boson.

Last July, scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, announced that they had found a particle they described as “Higgs-like." Last week, after completing their examination of the data, lead researcher Joe Incandela announced that, in his words, “it is clear that we are dealing with a Higgs boson."

The research continues, but discovery of a Higgs boson would leap to the top of Nobel Prize contenders.

MSU physics professors Joey Huston and Elizabeth Simmons explain the significance of this subatomic matter.