Five ways particle accelerators have changed the world (without a Higgs boson in sight)

The Large Hadron Collider is probably the world's most famous science experiment. The 27km-long ring-shaped particle accelerator beneath the edge of the Alps grabbed the world's attention in 2013 when it proved the existence of the Higgs boson particle. This helped physicists confirm that one of their key theories about the way the universe worked was correct – a huge step for science. But particle accelerators also have a big impact on our real lives. Even Christmas wouldn't be the same w