Physicist Pat Lukens of the Collider Detector at Fermilab announced the observance of a new type of hadron — a particle composed of elementary particles like quarks — it’s called the Omega-sub-b Baryon, and it’s made up of two strange quarks and a bottom quark, and has about six times the mass of the common proton.
Why does this matter? I mention it for two reasons. First, how cool are physicists? Charged with creating new terms to describe the elements and mechanics of their field, they’ve come up with wonderful words like quark, a particle that has different flavors, like strangeness and charm. These terms all suggest a playfulness inherent in their branch of science that speaks well of their community. The ability to approach the unknown with humility and wit is a great attribute to instill in anyone, and can keep even the most aged person young in spirit.
Second, it reminds us that no matter how much we know, or think we know, there’s still so much to learn. Even experts can be wrong under the right conditions, and we’re constantly discovering new things about the universe. How perfect a world this is for curious young minds, and how important for us as parents to remember that we’re in charge of nurturing those minds — keeping them limber and open. Our children will learn things we’ll never understand, and they’ll increase our understanding of the world. We just need to help them on their way to knowledge by starting early. Read to your child about science, even if you don’t fully understand it yourself; there’s no better time to learn!
