Higgs boson: scientists 99.999% sure 'God Particle' has been found

The historic announcement came in a progress report from the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator.

Professor John Womersley. chief executive of the Science and technology Facilities Council, told reporters at a briefing in London: "They have discovered a particle consistent with the Higgs boson. "Discovery is the important word. That is confirmed. It's a momentous day for science."

Scientists say it is a 5 sigma result which means they are 99.999% sure they have found a new particle. Finding the Higgs plugs a gaping hole in the Standard Model, the theory that describes all the particles, forces and interactions that make up the universe. If the particle was shown not to exist, it would have meant tearing up the Standard Model and going back to the drawing board.