CERN physics laboratory downplays claim of key discovery

The world's biggest particle physics lab on Tuesday played down claims of a major discovery, after a leaked memo hinting that the elusive Higgs boson or 'God particle' may have been found ricocheted around science websites. A spokesman for CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, said the memo wasn't intended for publication and the claims likely wouldn't withstand closer scrutiny. If proven to exist, the Higgs particle could explain why matter has mass, an enormous scientific breakthrough.
"The note is certainly genuine," spokesman James Gillies told The Associated Press on Tuesday. But he said such memos are merely the very first step in a rigorous peer-review process that tends to result in spectacular claims being knocked down by other scientists.