Remembering Peter Higgs (1929-2024)

 

Peter Higgs was a British physicists that contributed to the understanding of matter. Higgs proposed an existence of a particle that explains why matter has mass. Back when Peter Higgs proposed the existence of the particle in 1964, the evidence was limited. Detecting particles has been a challenge. However, this is circumvented by technology. Theoretical physics required the use of mathematics as a means of  direct detection. The use of the Large Hadron Collider enable physicists  to detect the Higgs boson. The breakthrough came in 2012 confirming that Higgs' 1964 paper was correct. The discovery contributed to the understanding of the Standard Model. Peter Higgs won the Nobel Prize along with Francois Englert in 2013. The detection of the Higgs Boson also adds to figuring out the origins of the universe. The Big Bang remains a mystery and the birth of the universe is a puzzle.  Most of Peter Higgs' professional career was based at Edinburgh University. The hunt for the Higgs boson involved a large amount of scientists at CERN and data. Peter Higgs impact will be felt for years in the field of physics. The Higgs Boson has the nickname " the God particle." The particle is not a deity or an exact explanation of the creation of the universe. It is one segment to a larger picture. More particles could be discovered in the coming decades. This is dependent on the technology of  particle accelerators. The Higgs boson can best described as a force carrying fundamental  particle. The particle is part of the Higgs field, which explains how protons, electrons, and neutrons are granted their mass. The Higgs Boson has a mass of 125 billion electron volts. The unique attribute of the Higgs boson is that it lacks spin. That characteristic is not present in other elementary  particles. Peter Higgs work expanded humanity's understanding of the subatomic world. More will be discovered about the Higgs Boson as technology advances.   

Chemistry : The Periodic Table And Periodicity

 

The periodic table is a chart designed to classify known elements. The periodic table is a tool of chemistry which contributes to the understanding of matter. Phoenix Learning Group explains the periodic table as a map. The elements can be placed on the periodic table as metals, metalloids, and non-metals. Most of the elements on the table are metals. There are a total of 118 elements listed on the periodic table. The elements are organized by atomic number . The atomic number is the total number of protons in the element. The group represents elements with similar valence electron counts. The columns of the periodic table are the groups. The periods on the chart show elements with the same number of electron shells. The periods are placed in the rows of the chart. To determine the number of neutrons the atomic number must be subtracted from the mass number. Understanding the attributes of elements has enabled chemical engineering. These are the elements known on Earth. There remains a possibility more could exist in the universe. The two mots abundant elements are hydrogen and helium. 

The Base of The Human Brain Illustration From De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septum (1543)

 

Andreas Vesalius wrote De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septum, which revolutionized medicine. The seven volume work was the most detailed text on human anatomy. Vesalius was able to get bodies for dissection and this enabled him to give descriptions of the human body. Many of his discoveries disproved Claudius Galen's medical assertions. Galen's concepts had been dominant since the Roman Empire. Galen did not have the advantage of cadavers for dissection. The impressive element of Vesalius' work is the detailed illustrations of organs and their systems. The image of the human brain is the most incredible. The illustration shows the base of the brain. What can be seen are the cerebellum, olfactory bulbs, and optic nerves. The left and right hemispheres show both fissures and convolutions. The drawing is precise to a contemporary medical text. What was missing from Humani Corpis Fabrica was the depiction of neurons. The reason was a limitation of technology. Andreas Vesalius did not have access to a microscope. Without such tools certain parts of the human body could not be detected. Vesalius did not fully comprehend the brain's physiology. The understanding  of neurotransmitters and electrical impulses through the brain cells would come centuries later. Surgeons and doctors probably had a suspicion that the brain was responsible for the senses. The challenge was proving transduction to be true. The human brain is the most complex organ of the body. It controls movement, consciousness, thought, and involuntary biological function. There is more to uncover about this intricate organ. Vesalius put emphasis on an observational methods. The teaching of medicine and surgery changed to a more empirical approach.