Smart People Map 248-Dimensional Object

It took 18 mathematicians over 4 years to successfully map the inner working of E8, one of the most complicated structures in math:

The mapping of E8, according to researchers, may very well have unforeseen implications in mathematics and physics which won’t be evident for years to come.

Underlying symmetrical objects such as spheres and cylinders is something called a Lie group—a mathematical group invented by the 19th century Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie to study symmetry. E8 is an example of a Lie group.

The result of E8 and all its representations is 60 gigabytes in size, enough to store 45 continuous days of music in MP3 format. In comparison, the Human Genome Project holding the entire genetic code of a cell is less than a gigabyte in size.

To ask how this will translate into finding out how they get the caramilk into a Caramilk bar would make me look like a complete rube right about now, so I won't go there. However, I do have one question to ask: What the hell are they talking about here?

'Splain it to me, Lucy