Two teams of scientists at CERN have confirmed the discovery of a new subatomic particle, which may well be the elusive Higgs boson, also known as "the God particle". "I can confirm that a particle has been discovered that is consistent with the Higgs boson theory," said John Womersley, chief executive of the UK's Science & Technology Facilities Council. The result is still preliminary, but "it's very strong and very solid," according to Joe Incandela, spokesman for one of the two teams hunting for the Higgs particle.