Answer to Question #36003 in Atomic and Nuclear Physics for Pete

Question

With the recent award to Higgs,etc. for defining the Higgs/Bosin field- something that slows matter down and allows it to attain mass. I was wondering, why is it that particles moving at the speed of light are not affected by the Higgs/Bosin field? I remember from college that as things approach the speed of light, they become massless and that this fulfills theory-but in a physical sense, why is this?