Scientists at the world's largest atom smasher in Switzerland are expected to make a major announcement.

Physicists at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research near Geneva, have new data that may show with greater certainty where to find a long-sought theoretical particle that would help explain the origins of the universe.

The particle is thought to underpin everything we know about how the universe works and - and would help explain why different particles have different masses.

If confirmed - and it is still considered a big "if" - it would be the most significant breakthrough since the discovery of the structure of DNA almost 60 years ago, as Al Jazeera's Nadim Baba explains.