Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss told University of Wisconsin-Madison students and community members what he deemed “the greatest story of all time” Wednesday.
Krauss detailed great scientific discoveries throughout the history of the universe as part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate’s Distinguished Lecture Series.
Well-known by his peers for his contributions to public science education, Krauss has won numerous national awards, including a Public Service Medal from the National Science Board. The public knows him through his bestselling books “The Physics of Star Trek” and “A Universe from Nothing.”
Krauss focused on the unification of seemingly contradicting concepts to make sense of big ideas. He explained humans’ brief existence is a cosmic accident against all odds and should be appreciated as such.
“You should be amazed that we are here in this accident,” Krauss said. “Instead of being depressed you should enjoy your moment in the sun.”
Another of these big ideas is the Standard Model, a theory that the forces of the universe can be related through a particle called the Higgs boson.
The Higgs particle, which helps slow down atomic subunits enough so that they can join together has been theorized since 1964, and its discovery in July 2012 served as the climax of Krauss’ “story.”
To discover the particle, thousands of scientists worked together for decades through language and geographical barriers to build the Large Hadron Collider. The LHC is an underground tube 27 kilometers in circumference which accelerates protons with the goal of particle collision.
Krauss explained science can be used to bring people together to reach a common goal.
“Science unifies us together. It doesn’t matter our cultural backgrounds, our political means or our sex,” Krauss said. “That’s why science represents humanity at its best.”
Additionally, he stressed the importance of an open mind and creative thinking, relating turning on the collider to opening a door to a separate universe and seeing what could happen next.
Krauss said the discovery of the Higgs boson led to many new questions and a need to continue exploring.
“We need nature to keep prodding us, we need to keep doing experiments,” Krauss said.
