Scientists at CERN—which is home to a massive particle accelerator—have come to a surprising conclusion: Based on all of their research, experiments and mathematical calculations, the universe shouldn’t be possible.
In a press release, one of the researchers explained, “All of our observations find a complete symmetry between matter and antimatter, which is why the universe should not actually exist.”
Essentially, for a “big bang” to happen and result in the universe, there must be some sort of imbalance between particles and antiparticles, otherwise, they would completely annihilate each other. So, in order for matter to theoretically form after a big bang, they’d have to observe some sort of asymmetry. The problem is, even with the most precise measuring techniques they can conceive of, they are exactly balanced.
The finding has baffled the researchers. One of the study’s authors explained: “An asymmetry must exist here somewhere but we simply do not understand where the difference is. What is the source of the symmetry break?”
The team plans on continuing to work on the problem, though it’s remarkable to hear that their research is leading them to think that technically “the universe should not actually exist.”
Obviously, this kind of research has significant implications for our understanding of the universe, and, for some people, their theology. But the researchers are not giving up on their search for answers: “This is the riddle we need to solve.”
