The Higgs is associated with an invisible field predicted to permeate throughout all of space interacting with particles to give them mass.

CNN: Higgs and the holy grail of physics

One possible explanation for these positrons is the mutual annihilation of the matter and antimatter forms of a type of dark matter called weakly interacting massive particles, also known as WIMPs.

ECONOMIST: The search for dark matter: Ethereal yet weighty | The

The scientific explanation - streams of charged particles from sun storms interacting with electrons in nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the earth's upper atmosphere - does little to demystify the experience.

BBC: The perfect trip: Norway