Lucifer's legacy : the meaning of asymmetry

For many centuries, scientists have investigated the "fearful symmetry" that seemed to underlie the Universe.

But increasingly, it looks as though life is the result of cosmic asymmetry, and scientists are now preparing to uncover the asymmetries at the heart of the Big Bang.

This text follows the trail, from subtle asymmetries in Nature to the mysterious Higg's boson that scientists now believe may hold the key to the birth of the Universe itself.