Roger Ebert was a wonderful film critic and writer. But like many people expressing certainty about the conventional wisdom in a distant field, he was out of his depth.

The story of the Higgs boson involves a major quest that began with the Babylonians and Egyptians and continued to the ancient Greeks, the Arabs, medieval Europe, and on through the 19th century to our own time.

When a body of tested scientific knowledge is said to be "only a theory," the scientific meaning of the word is perverted with the effect of trivializing issues that may have life and death consequences for the entire world.

As we move into an era of politics in which facts seem increasingly irrelevant, the scientific method requires scientists to defend their work. And although scientists can often be as resistant to new ideas as anyone, the process of science ensures that good ideas and theories prevail.