I think the "We've been looking hard and can't find it, so it doesn't exist."
way of going about things is a bit suspect. It should be "We have found every possible combination of particles which seems to explain all known possibilities, and can I have a lolly now please?" type of statement before they give up.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 10:53, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

I don't think they are giving up
so much as wedgying supersymmetry
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 10:55, Reply)

It's not that simple obviously.
The can infer the properties of a particle before finding it. If they then put an experiment in place that will create the particle and detectors that can detect the properties, then run it for months and nothing comes up, it's time to look back at the theory.
(PsychoChomp, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 10:56, Reply)

My head hurts.

( girlinthehole, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:00, Reply)

amazing what you learn at paperclip school

( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:01, Reply)

Well duh.
It was more a comment on the simplified way that CERN are communicating with the media. I suppose I could buy New Scientist to find out, but it is so boring.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:01, Reply)

new scientist is cool
and has pretty pictures for us dumb artists
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:02, Reply)

ti t e
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:04, Reply)

I guess the fact that this took me ages to get
proves your point :(
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:06, Reply)

it has to be simplified
journalists are mostly stupid, people are mostly even more stupid than that. Things need to be dumbed down.
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:04, Reply)

I know, I find it a shame though
There should be telly and radio for smart people, and our vote should count twice at elections and that.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:09, Reply)

Smart people don't sit and wait for knowledge to be handed to them.

(PsychoChomp, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:09, Reply)

What can I say, I'm a lazy underachieving person.
Like most people here I should think.
( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:12, Reply)

Some people are smart at some things and not others
there are some things I will try and find out about, others I will find out about by accident, other things I will ignore until someone tells me in idiot language
( Citizen Cavy Admires your passion for conformity, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:13, Reply)

CERN's website is actually brilliant, and they're very good at talking to the media
the problem is most reporters dropped science at GCSE
(PsychoChomp, Fri 25 Feb 2011, 11:07, Reply)