The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), which houses the world's most powerful particle accelerator - the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)- has just announced that scientists have found a new subatomic particle that could be the Higgs boson, the basic building block of the universe.

"I can confirm that a particle has been discovered that is consistent with the Higgs boson theory," said John Womersley, chief executive of Britain's Science & Technology Facilities Council, at an event in London.

''Higgs within reach. Our understanding of the universe is about to change…'' says CERN's official website (http://public.web.cern.ch/public/).

Several websites carried live streaming of the announcement today. According to media reports, speculation on 'God Particle' started when a 'leaked video' was briefly made public yesterday on the website of CERN, confirming that physicists at the LHC have most likely discovered the long-sought particle.