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Evidence mounts that neutrinos are the key to the universe's existence.
New experimental results show a difference in the way neutrinos and antineutrinos behave, which could explain why matter persists over antimatter.
The results, from the T2K experiment in Japan, show that the degree to which neutrinos change their type differs from their antineutrino counterparts. This is important because if all types of matter and antimatter behave the same way, they should have obliterated each other shortly after the Big Bang.
So far, when scientists have looked at matter-antimatter pairs of particles, no differences have been large enough to explain why the universe is made up of matter — and exists — rather than being annihilated by antimatter. Neutrinos and antineutrinos are one of the last matter-antimatter pairs to be investigated since they are difficult to produce and measure, but their strange behaviour hints that they could be the key to the mystery.
Neutrinos (and antineutrinos) come in three 'flavours' of tau, muon and electron, each of which can spontaneously change into the other as the neutrinos travel over long distances. The latest results, announced today by a team of researchers including physicists from Imperial College London, show more muon neutrinos changing into electron neutrinos than muon antineutrinos changing into electron antineutrinos.
This difference in muon-to-electron changing behaviour between neutrinos and antineutrinos means they would have different properties, which could have prevented them from destroying each other and allow the universe to exist.
[...] The latest results were concluded from relatively few data points, meaning there is still a one in 20 chance that the results are due to random chance, rather than a true difference in behaviour. However, the result is still exciting for the scientists involved.
Dr Morgan Wascko, international co-spokesperson for the T2K experiment from the Department of Physics at Imperial said: "This is an important first step towards potentially solving one of the biggest mysteries in science. T2K is the first experiment that is able to study neutrino and antineutrino oscillation under the same conditions, and the disparity we have observed is, while not yet statistically significant, very intriguing."
The results were presented at the 38th International Conference on High Energy Physics in Chicago. More detailed information is available at the T2K website and in the presentation (pdf).
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Whoever on Tuesday August 09 2016, @03:12AM
My theory is that we live in a simulation, but the universe where the simulation runs has completely different rules. Our universe is just an experiment. How else to explain the crazy behaviour in quantum mechanics and such things as "spooky action at a distance"?
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Tuesday August 09 2016, @03:57AM
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Fiction at least has to make sense.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday August 09 2016, @09:36PM
"Truth is stranger than fiction."
Twain said "truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to be believable." Terry Pratchett disagreed.
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 09 2016, @04:03AM
Extra dimensions, where the distances isn't so spooky after all.
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday August 09 2016, @04:28AM
its worse than that.
dimensions are not a fixed quantity. that's right, they are not integers but real numbers, fractions and all.
depending on where you are, the number of dimesions varies.
the time cube guy was close. insane, but close.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday August 09 2016, @05:33PM
Fractal dimensions would explain a lot of humanity.
Also: http://thecodelesscode.com/case/128 [thecodelesscode.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 09 2016, @06:58AM
Or fewer [vice.com]
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Thursday August 11 2016, @02:32PM
Ah yes extra dimensions. So cute when it's just a handful of them (of course tesseracts [wikipedia.org] are cute, at least compared to glomes [wikipedia.org]) but such an ultimate ad hoc crutch when they tally up to double digits or infinities of infinities: the "scientific" replacement for the "God of the gaps" [wikipedia.org] fallacy, the place where silly bigoted religious dogma and silly bigoted scientific dogma meet and unite as one and the same :P
[Mathematical abuse is what it is! Leave those poor numbers alone :o Thank $n-sphere [wikipedia.org] most people like Elon Musk have much better things to do than to add even more "probabilities" on top of it :) ]
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))
(Score: 2) by TheGratefulNet on Tuesday August 09 2016, @04:26AM
we are in a simulation, but its oscillating.
the great creator is not so great; he forgot the important bypass caps.
of course it oscillates. duh! gain is too high and there's no decoupling going on.
all this anti-stuff is just Math Gone Wrong(tm). it can't make sense. see the above ;)
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 09 2016, @05:30PM
Don't complain when he/she/it deletes your ungrateful ass from the simulation.
If my fish flipped me off in their fishbowl, I'd have them for dinner.
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Thursday August 11 2016, @03:04PM
You insensitive clod (*wink*) stop depopulating the oceans: fish can't do nothing but flip you off, they don't have any other limb gestures.
N.b. eating fish does not render them into "un-existence" (it does not negate them having existed) otherwise you couldn't have been flipped off and couldn't have eaten them.
For what it isn't worth I think TheGratefulNet is wrong about God and bypass caps and right about the math [soylentnews.org].
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))
(Score: 3, Insightful) by wonkey_monkey on Tuesday August 09 2016, @07:51AM
How else to explain the crazy behaviour in quantum mechanics and such things as "spooky action at a distance"?
What's crazy or spooky about it, except that it doesn't have a reasonable analogy in everyday experience?
It's just how the universe is.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 5, Insightful) by weeds on Tuesday August 09 2016, @01:11PM
"The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you."
Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Get money out of politics! [mayday.us]
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Thursday August 11 2016, @03:10PM
Lol and consequently Neil DeGrasse Tyson is not under any obligation to make sense to you or anybody else either which explains Pluto XD
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))