Physicists announced this week that they may be closing in on finding the Higgs boson particle. Also known as the God particle, the Higgs boson would be definitive evidence that the universe as we understand it is, well, the universe as we understand it. Scientists assume the Higgs exists because, in theory, it represents the best explanation of why matter has mass—which it must in order for our view of the universe to work.

So what does this have to do with the Vineyard? Aside from the fact that we, and the land we live on, are most likely made of matter and probably have mass (can’t jump to any conclusions until the God particle is discovered), the answer is “nothing, directly.” But here on the roads of the Island we are grappling with a question that is as puzzling, and critical, to locals as the search for the universe’s missing link is for those who study galactic highways:

Why does gas cost so much more here?

Our Higgs boson is the theory that things—including gas—cost more on an Island because they have to be shipped there. This fits in with our accepted view of the Vineyard and leads residents— as they did in last week’s Gazette story on the subject—to say things like: “We’ve got to have it [gas] and we’ve got to pay it,” and “We all realized that when we decided to live here everything is going to cost a little more.”

This is not unlike a physicist explaining that the Higgs boson exists because it justifies the current view of the universe.

But there is one problem: No one’s ever seen the God particle; the physical evidence does not yet exist. And despite this week’s announcement, not everyone is buying into its existence. No less than celebrated British physicist Stephen Hawking reportedly placed a public bet a few years ago that those searching for the Higgs boson would never find it. If Hawking proves to be correct, it could damage numerous scientific careers, not to mention sending us back to the drawing board to figure out our very existence.

Similarly—on a different level, of course—our belief about high gas prices on the Island is based largely on an assumption that, some believe, has yet to be demonstrated. Does a seven-mile ferry ride equate to an 80 cents a gallon difference from the mainland? Even Stephen Hawking might have a tough time with that one.