THE Edinburgh professor behind the greatest scientific discovery in half a century celebrated with a glass of sparkling wine and a can of beer on an easyJet flight.
Professor Peter Higgs, 83, is being tipped for a Nobel prize after experts found what they believe to be the Higgs boson – the sub-atomic “God Particle” he predicted 45 years ago would explain how the universe is held together.
But he celebrated in low-key style as he flew home to Edinburgh University after the discovery was announced at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
Physicist Alan Walker, who was with him on the flight, said: “We shared a small bottle of prosecco with a student from the University of Glasgow who happened to be sitting behind us.
“Peter then celebrated with a can of London Pride.”
Peter had feared he would be dead by the time the Higgs boson was finally discovered.
He wiped away tears when his theory of how the universe is built was confirmed. He said: “It is very nice to be right sometimes.
“It’s been a long wait.”
The apparent discovery of the Higgs boson is a milestone in our understanding of the universe, but Peter, right, admits it might not have many practical uses.
He said: “I don’t know how you can apply it to anything useful. It only has a few uses in medicine.”
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