Scientists in Geneva say they've refined their search for the so-called "God particle" believed to hold the answer to one of science's fundamental questions.
The mysterious particle is believed to explain how atoms -- a.k.a. the universe's basic building material -- have weight.
Physicists with CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, revealed Tuesday that they've narrowed in on regions where the long-sought after particle could be found.
Two research teams hunting for the particle say hints of it can be found in the "low mass region" of the atom tracker being used to locate it.
Still, CERN was quick to stress that they do not have enough evidence to officially declare that the existence of the particle, known as the Higgs boson.
"It's too early to draw a definite conclusion, the conclusion will be eventually," said Italian physicist Fabiola Gianotti who is running a test called the ATLAS experiment.
Those conclusions were echoed by Guido Tonelli, a spokesperson for Compact Muon Solenoid Detector (CMS), a related experiment.
CERN's new information was gathered using a $10-billion Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a massive particle collider, stationed under the Swiss-French border.
Physicist Leon Lederman nicknamed the Higgs boson the "God particle" in a book with the same name for two reasons.
The slightly less divine explanation is that his publisher wouldn't allow him to call the book "Goddamn particle," a name inspired by mounting frustration in trying to locate the Higgs boson.
His second reason is a nod to an Albert Einstein quote suggesting that in their work trying to untangle the secrets of the universe, physicists are trying to "know the mind of God."
Like any great mystery, there are skeptics who question whether there is evidence strong enough to prove the particle's existence.
If it actually exists, the Higgs boson could explain why matter has mass, a question that's dogged scientists and navel-gazers for years.
On the opposite end, if scientists discover that the Higgs boson doesn't exist, a major argument in the perennial "mass and matter" debate will be shelved for good.
Excitement swelled around the Higgs boson particle last spring when science websites started circulating a leaked CERN memo that indicated the particle may have been found.
The note was anonymous and scientists have downplayed its significance, saying that several notes to that effect circulate frequently.
The particle was named after British physicist Peter Higgs who first put forward the theory of the particle's existence more than 40 years ago.
With files from The Associated Press
