Source: BBC

A book telling the story of the hunt for the elusive Higgs boson has won the 2013 Royal Society Winton Prize.

Theoretical physicist Sean Carroll scoops the £25,000 award for his book The Particle at the End of the Universe.

His work beat five other titles that ranged across topics that broadly focussed on life in its many forms and its internal workings.

But the judges were unanimous in their decision to give Dr Carroll the prize.

Prof Uta Frith, from University College London and chair of the judges, said of the winning book: “It is an exceptional example of the genre and a real rock star of a book. Though it’s a topic that has been tackled many times before.

“Carroll writes with an energy that propels readers along and fills them with his own passion. He understands their minds and anticipates their questions. There’s no doubt that this is an important, enduring piece of literature.”

The prize was announced at the society’s central London headquarters.

Dr Carroll said it was “completely unexpected”.

“It was a great thrill. I honestly thought of the six people in this room, anyone could have won.

“I was the only physicist, the only American. All the books are really interesting.

“They’re talking about both esoteric aspects of science but ones that affect our lives in a tangible way. I got the benefit of the fact that we’re in Higgs mania and that people were really interested in it, but the disadvantage is that the Higgs is an abstract concept that people have a little bit of difficulty wrapping their brains around,” he told BBC News.

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