Scientists May Have Found a Way to Simplify Gravity. It Could Change Physics as We Know It.
Here's what you'll learn in this story.
A new paper uses a simplified model to prove that gravity can be unified between quantum and standard physics.
The simpler model still meets the established requirements for a robust unified gravity theory.
Even if this theory does not prove revolutionary, it shows that new ways of thinking are possible.
Two scientists in Finland are claiming to have advanced the cause of a unified theory of gravity, including 'a complete, renormalizable theory of quantum gravity.' Physicists have long tried to mesh gravity with the standard model of physics by, in a sense, comparing like with like—how can we describe gravity using measurable things in a way that aligns with how the standard model describes electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces? The key—according to the duo's new research, which appears now in the peer reviewed journal Reports on Progress in Physics—lies in a particular type of theory called a gauge.
A gauge is a way to measure something that is comparable to other things, like India's narrow gauge railways. In physics, gauge theory helps scientists take all the measurable things they know and align them in order to find commonalities or definitions. Using an old English expression, we can define a duck as something that walks like a duck and quacks like a duck. Once something is a proverbial duck, many other properties—like its color, size, or area of origin—can't change its duck-ness. The duck-ness gauge only requires waddling and quacking.
In this paper, physicists Mikko Partanen and Jukka Tulkki turn the universe at large into a bunch of overlapping, finite relationships of symmetry that act as microcosms of the entire standard model. They describe a system with eight dimensions, then break it into pieces that each use four of those dimensions. Finally, they write, '[f]our symmetries of the components of the space-time dimension field are used to derive a gauge theory, called unified gravity.'
Basically, their goal was to find the mathematically smallest model that could still hold up to all the rules required of a theory of unified gravity (one that unites the standard model and quantum physics). This work finds a middle ground between a simplified 'toy model' and the complexity of a full model of spacetime. One of the keys is that, within a gauge relationship, many terms can simply be canceled out, the same way you may have learned to do in algebra and calculus.
Partanen and Tulkki claim that by substituting new (but equivalent) values for parts of their formulae, they've created a gauge model that no longer relies on a contentious variable. 'In contrast to previous gauge theories of gravity, all infinities that are encountered in the calculations of loop diagrams can be absorbed by the redefinition of the small number of parameters of the theory in the same way as in the gauge theories of the Standard Model,' they conclude. In other words, gravity may not need to be as complicated as we've made it—at least, mathematically speaking.
A key term in this research is normalization, or renormalization. This is a form of matching reality (and observable qualities within it) to the pure mathematics of a model. Any theory of unified gravity must hold up to how we measure the effects of gravity in our portion of spacetime—or anywhere else in the universe, for that matter.
The scientists chose a compact model over a noncompact one, meaning that their model doesn't have any missing pieces that they aren't sure how to categorize. There's no quacking fish or waddling giraffe gumming up the works of what a duck must be.
You Might Also Like
The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape
The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere
Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Reproducibility may be the key idea students need to balance trust in evidence with healthy skepticism
Many people have been there. The dinner party is going well until someone decides to introduce a controversial topic. In today's world, that could be anything from vaccines to government budget cuts to immigration policy. Conversation starts to get heated. Finally, someone announces with great authority that a scientific study supports their position. This causes the discussion to come to an abrupt halt because the dinner guests disagree on their belief in scientific evidence. Some may believe science always speaks the truth, some may think science can never be trusted, and others may disagree on which studies with contradicting claims are 'right.' How can the dinner party – or society – move beyond this kind of impasse? In today's world of misinformation and disinformation, healthy skepticism is essential. At the same time, much scientific work is rigorous and trustworthy. How do you reach a healthy balance between trust and skepticism? How can researchers increase the transparency of their work to make it possible to evaluate how much confidence the public should have in any particular study? As teachers and scholars, we see these problems in our own classrooms and in our students – and they are mirrored in society. The concept of reproducibility may offer important answers to these questions. Reproducibility is what it sounds like: reproducing results. In some ways, reproducibility is like a well-written recipe, such as a recipe for an award-winning cake at the county fair. To help others reproduce their cake, the proud prizewinner must clearly document the ingredients used and then describe each step of the process by which the ingredients were transformed into a cake. If others can follow the directions and come up with a cake of the same quality, then the recipe is reproducible. Think of the English scholar who claims that Shakespeare did not author a play that has historically been attributed to him. A critical reader will want to know exactly how they arrived at that conclusion. What is the evidence? How was it chosen and interpreted? By parsing the analysis step by step, reproducibility allows a critical reader to gauge the strength of any kind of argument. We are a group of researchers and professors from a wide range of disciplines who came together to discuss how we use reproducibility in our teaching and research. Based on our expertise and the students we encounter, we collectively see a need for higher-education students to learn about reproducibility in their classes, across all majors. It has the potential to benefit students and, ultimately, to enhance the quality of public discourse. Reproducibility has always been a foundation of good science because it allows researchers to scrutinize each other's studies for rigor and credibility and expand upon prior work to make new discoveries. Researchers are increasingly paying attention to reproducibility in the natural sciences, such as physics and medicine, and in the social sciences, such as economics and environmental studies. Even researchers in the humanities, such as history and philosophy, are concerned with reproducibility in studies involving analysis of texts and evidence, especially with digital and computational methods. Increased interest in transparency and accessibility has followed the rising importance of computer algorithms and numerical analysis in research. This work should be reproducible, but it often remains opaque. Broadly, research is reproducible if it answers the question: 'How do you know?' − such that another researcher could theoretically repeat the study and produce consistent results. Reproducible research is explicit about the materials and methods that were used in a study to make discoveries and come to conclusions. Materials include everything from scientific instruments such as a tensiometer measuring soil moisture to surveys asking people about their daily diet. They also include digital data such as spreadsheets, digitized historic texts, satellite images and more. Methods include how researchers make observations and analyze data. To reproduce a social science study, for example, we would ask: What is the central question or hypothesis? Who was in the study? How many individuals were included? What were they asked? After data was collected, how was it cleaned and prepared for analysis? How exactly was the analysis run? Proper documentation of all these steps, plus making available the original data from the study, allows other scientists to redo the research, evaluate the decisions made during the process of gathering and analyzing information, and assess the credibility of the findings. Over the past 20 years, the need for reproducibility has become increasingly important. Scientists have discovered that some published studies are too poorly documented for others to repeat, lack verified data sources, are questionably designed, or even fraudulent. A highly contentious, retracted study from 1998 linked the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Scientists and journalists used their understanding of reproducibility to discover the flaws in the study. The central question of the study was not about vaccines but aimed to explore a possible relationship between colitis − an inflammation of the large intestine − and developmental disorders. The authors explicitly wrote, 'We did not prove an association between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described.' The study observed just 12 patients who were referred to the authors' gastroenterology clinic and had histories of recent behavioral disorders, including autism. This sample of children is simply too small and selective to be able to make definitive conclusions. In this study, the researchers translated children's medical charts into summary tables for comparison. When a journalist attempted to reproduce the published data tables from the children's medical histories, they found pervasive inconsistencies. Reproducibility allows for corrections in research. The article was published in a respected journal, but it lacked transparency with regard to patient recruitment, data analysis and conflicts of interest. Whereas traditional peer review involves critical evaluation of a manuscript, reproducibility also opens the door to evaluating the underlying data and methods. When independent researchers attempted to reproduce this study, they found deep flaws. The article was retracted by the journal and by most of its authors. Independent research teams conducted more robust studies, finding no relationship between vaccines and autism. Each research discipline has its own set of best practices for achieving reproducibility. Disciplines in which researchers use computational or statistical analysis require sharing the data and software code for reproducing studies. In other disciplines, researchers interpret nonnumerical qualities of data sources such as interviews, historical texts, social media content and more. These disciplines are working to develop standards for sharing their data and research designs for reproducibility. Across disciplines, the core principles are the same: transparency of the evidence and arguments by which researchers arrived at their conclusions. It is true that the underlying data for some studies cannot be fully released to the public – for example, confidential patient health information or the exact locations for species threatened by illegal poaching. But this does not mean that the research didn't employ many other reproducibility techniques or that the findings should be discredited. Even without publicly available data, the description of the data and methods should be transparent enough to understand and to replicate. Colleges and universities are uniquely situated to promote reproducibility in research and public conversations. Critical thinking, effective communication and intellectual integrity, staples of higher-education mission statements, are all served by reproducibility. Teaching faculty at colleges and universities have started taking some important steps toward incorporating reproducibility into a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses. These include assignments to replicate existing studies, training in reproducible methods to conduct and document original research, preregistration of hypotheses and analysis plans, and tools to facilitate open collaboration among peers. A number of initiatives to develop and disseminate resources for teaching reproducibility have been launched. Despite some progress, reproducibility still needs a central place in higher education. It can be integrated into any course in which students weigh evidence, read published literature to make claims, or learn to conduct their own research. This change is urgently needed to train the next generation of researchers, but that is not the only reason. Reproducibility is fundamental to constructing and communicating claims based on evidence. Through a reproducibility lens, students evaluate claims in published studies as contingent on the transparency and soundness of the evidence and analysis on which the claims are based. When faculty teach reproducibility as a core expectation from the beginning of a curriculum, they encourage students to internalize its principles in how they conduct their own research and engage with the research published by others. Institutions of higher education already prioritize cultivating engaged, literate and critical citizens capable of solving the world's most challenging contemporary problems. Teaching reproducibility equips students, and members of the public, with the skills they need to critically analyze claims in published research, in the media and even at dinner parties. Also contributing to this article are participants in the 2024 Reproducibility and Replicability in the Liberal Arts workshop, funded by the Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges (AALAC) [in alphabetical order]: Ben Gebre-Medhin (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mount Holyoke College), Xavier Haro-Carrión (Department of Geography, Macalester College), Emmanuel Kaparakis (Quantitative Analysis Center, Wesleyan University), Scott LaCombe (Statistical and Data Sciences, Smith College), Matthew Lavin (Data Analytics Program, Denison University), Joseph J. Merry (Sociology Department, Furman University), Laurie Tupper (Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Mount Holyoke College). Editors Note: This article has been updated to clarify standards for good reproducibility. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Sarah R. Supp, Denison University; Anne M. Nurse, The College of Wooster; Joseph Holler, Middlebury; Nicholas J. Horton, Amherst College; EPA must use the best available science − by law − but what does that mean? Science in the public debate: nourishing controversy, preventing polemicUnderstanding why people reject science could lead to solutions for rebuilding trust Sarah Supp receives funding from the National Science Foundation, awards #1915913, #2120609, and #2227298. Joseph Holler receives funding from the National Science Foundation, award #2049837. Peter Kedron receives funding from the National Science Foundation, award #2049837 and from Esri. Richard Ball has received funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the United Kingdom Reproducibility Network. Anne M. Nurse and Nicholas J. Horton do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Portsmouth High School class of 2025 Top 10 students
The following students were honored as the top 10 students in the Portsmouth High School class of 2025. (Note: Students are listed in alphabetical order.) An outstanding scholar, leader, and role model, Marc Alcolea Vila will attend Rice University in the fall to study engineering. A semi-finalist in the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program, AP Scholar with Distinction, and recipient of the NESDEC Award, Marc has consistently demonstrated academic excellence and a deep passion for learning. He was also awarded First Place in the Veterans of Foreign Wars Essay Contest and recognized nationally with the College Board's National Hispanic Recognition Award. Originally from Spain, Marc moved to the United States at the age of ten. In a short time, he has achieved extraordinary success, demonstrating remarkable resilience, intelligence, and dedication. His ability to overcome the challenges of adapting to a new country, while excelling in all areas of his life is truly inspiring. Marc graduates with a flawless academic record, having completed eleven honors and nine Advanced Placement courses. He also successfully completed Portsmouth High School's rigorous Career and Technical Education Engineering Design program and earned the Rhode Island Department of Education's Silver Seal of Biliteracy in English and French, an impressive accomplishment that highlights his linguistic abilities. Beyond his impressive academics, Marc is a highly respected leader and an active member of his school community. He serves as President of the Language Honor Society and is a valued member of the National Honor Society, Mathematics Team, and Engineering Club. As a three-year captain of the Varsity Swim Team, Marc has consistently exemplified leadership, commitment, and integrity. With his outstanding achievements, character, and drive, Marc Alcolea Vila is poised to make a meaningful and lasting impact in the field of engineering and far beyond. A natural problem solver, who thrives on self-expression and creativity, Tara Finnegan is a bright, self-motivated and intellectually curious young woman. Tara has excelled academically throughout high school, successfully completing ten honors and six Advanced Placement courses. Tara earned the Rhode Island Department of Education's Silver Seal of Biliteracy Award, the second-highest level of competency certified by the program, in both English and Spanish, a testament to her exceptional linguistic ability and academic leadership and commitment to her school community are equally noteworthy. She currently serves as President of the Portsmouth High School Band and holds Vice President positions in the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and Language Honor Society. A dedicated member of the Community Service Club, Tara also volunteers at the local senior center, giving back with compassion and determination and drive push her to grow beyond her comfort zone. She is hardworking, reflective, and consistently seeks opportunities to challenge herself. A well-rounded and purpose-driven leader, Tara is ready to make meaningful contributions in science and beyond. Her deep passion for scientific research, the outdoors, plants, and the Earth has inspired her to pursue a degree in Environmental Science A natural problem solver, who thrives on self-expression and creativity, Tara Finnegan is a bright, self-motivated and intellectually curious young woman. Tara has excelled academically throughout high school, successfully completing ten honors and six Advanced Placement courses. Tara earned the Rhode Island Department of Education's Silver Seal of Biliteracy Award, the second-highest level of competency certified by the program, in both English and Spanish, a testament to her exceptional linguistic ability and academic dedication. Tara's leadership and commitment to her school community are equally noteworthy. She currently serves as President of the Portsmouth High School Band and holds Vice President positions in the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and Language Honor Society. A dedicated member of the Community Service Club, Tara also volunteers at the local senior center, giving back with compassion and humility. Tara's determination and drive push her to grow beyond her comfort zone. She is hardworking, reflective, and consistently seeks opportunities to challenge herself. A well-rounded and purpose-driven leader, Tara is ready to make meaningful contributions in science and beyond. Her deep passion for scientific research, the outdoors, plants, and the Earth has inspired her to pursue a degree in Environmental Science at Northeastern University this fall. Dylan Hong is an exceptional student whose intellectual curiosity, work ethic, and determination to excel scholastically are evident in her impressive academic record. She is kind, humble, thoughtful and recognized for her integrity and strength of character. She sincerely desires to learn and consistently strives to outperform her potential. Dylan is naturally inquisitive and an innate problem-solver who immerses herself in her school work. She seeks to be challenged and embraces thought-provoking curricula that allows her critical thinking skills to shine, and her love of learning is contagious and inspiring. Although Dylan has excelled in all of her coursework, her favorite subjects have been in the areas of math and engineering, where she has flourished and made outstanding contributions, especially in the Project Lead The Way program. Notably, Dylan has been an asset and standout contributor to the Math Team and a competitive and outstanding member of the Mock Trial and Model UN clubs. She also believes in giving back to the community and values the merits of service. She is looking forward to developing innovative ideas and producing products that will improve peoples' lives, and she will be pursuing an Engineering degree at the University of Rhode Island. Hailey Labonte is a hard working, dedicated, and driven student who has consistently held herself to the highest standards while taking the most rigorous AP and Honors courses offered throughout her high school career. She is intuitive and a thinker who often views problems as opportunities and seeks to find creative ways to overcome challenges or develop solutions. Hailey remains driven and focused and goes after her every endeavor with determination and a quiet confidence. She is genuinely humble and recognized for her kindness, helpfulness and thoughtfulness. She is a leader who is reflective and sincerely thinks about how her actions or decisions will impact others. Further, Hailey is well-known for her athletic prowess and contributions to the PHS Girls Volleyball team, and she has been a dedicated member and leader of the Green Club, as well as other clubs and honor societies. She is a truly accomplished and remarkable young woman who looks forward to pursuing a career that will make a significant difference in other people's lives. Hailey will undoubtedly meet her goals as she has decided to pursue a Biomedical Engineering degree from Marymount University in Virginia. Without question, Ashley Murphy has excelled academically across the disciplines, and her innate abilities coupled with her tireless work ethic have placed her in the top of her class. Ashley is highly motivated, conscientious, and an avid learner who strives to exceed the standards. She sincerely invests in the learning process and continually evolves academically. Ashley is a deep thinker, who is articulate, quick-witted, and a natural leader who is well-respected by her classmates and teachers. She exudes confidence and poise, and can think quickly on the spot. She pays meticulous attention to details and does an excellent job of leading and delegating responsibilities, but also knows when to let someone else take the helm and be a team dynamic, open-minded and warm personality positively impacts anyone who meets her. Further, Ashley has been an active and invested member of a variety of clubs and honor societies, and she has won numerous awards recognizing her accomplishments. She is a force to be reckoned with on the Model UN team and has successfully dominated as a competitor, winning some of the toughest, upper level rooms and earning Best Delegate awards. Not surprisingly, she was selected as one of the RI Delegates of the US Youth Senate Program by the Commissioner of Education. Ashley has found her purpose in the political and international relations fields, and she is excited about majoring in Public Policy at the University of Michigan this fall. A strong, independent young woman, Kelsea Smith is also a self-motivated learner whose consistent efforts lead to her success. She always puts her responsibilities and commitments first and, without fail, sees them through to fruition. As a logical and fair thinker, she takes a critical approach to her love of reading. Her passion for reading is leading her to pursue a career in editing and/or publishing with further pursuit of a postgraduate degree in law and/or business. A well-read, self-assured, and creative individual, Kelsea has a strong sense of self, believing in her abilities to be successful in anything in which she partakes. Having strong intrinsic motivation, Kelsea takes it upon herself to exceed expectations in academics, sports, hobbies, and employment. She is observant and remembers small details with ease. A National Merit Semi-Finalist and member of the National Honor Society, previously serving as secretary and currently serving as president, Kelsea has challenged herself throughout her entire high school career, enrolling in many Advanced Placement and Honors courses where she has found great success. Her leadership skills have blossomed while serving her peers through this organization. Through her study of Spanish, in which she is a member of the National Language Honor Society, Kelsea has developed the skills necessary to earn the Seal of Biliteracy. Kelsea plans on attending the College of William and Mary where she will pursue a degree in English Literature. Enrolled in an array of Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Sonia Staroscik is an exceptional student and outstanding human being. She has many academic interests but her main focus is engineering. As a member of our school's Academy for Engineering Design, Sonia has taken several courses in this area to prepare for the continuation of her pursuit of a career in mechanical engineering. Sonia's logical thinking combines with her flair for art and design to extend her engineering skills creating projects that are not only solid but also showcase Sonia's unique inventiveness using her talents in the areas of whittling, 3-D printing, and laser cutting. She has an extremely strong work ethic and is a self-reliant, ambitious learner, earning her a Book Award from our Parents Helping Students Organization for her work ethic, academic achievement, and integrity. As her academic accolades are many, they also include: Second Grant in the State Science Fair for Material Science, The Rhode Island High School Coaches' Association All-Academic Award, The Rensselaer Medal, and the Silver Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. She is also a strong, yet humble, figurehead on the athletic teams and clubs in which she participates and is a team player who generously gives of her time to assist others in need of support; academically, athletically, and emotionally. As biology is also a strong interest of Sonia's, she engaged in SEA Expedition, a two week sailing and oceanography course which took place at sea. She is passionate about learning new things and enjoying new experiences. Sonia will attend Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where she will major in Mechanical Engineering. A National Merit Semi-Finalist, member of the National Honor Society, National Language Honor Society, and National Art Honor Society, Elena Sun is a well-rounded student who is humble to the core. As evident through her most demanding course load, which includes many Advanced Placement and Honors courses, Elena has an unparalleled passion for knowledge and immerses herself not only in the content being taught but she thrives on furthering her learning by engaging in self-directed in-depth research to reach a higher level of mastery. Biology was a class which piqued her interest especially, as it has a tangible impact on lives. Expanding her cultural knowledge and global communication skills, as well as growing her connection to her own culture, she also has enjoyed advancing her Spanish competence. Elena's inquisitive nature pushes her to apply her knowledge in order to directly and positively impact the world around her as being part of a whole is important to her. She earned the prestigious Governor's Award for her project submission which was judged to have the most potential benefit to the State of Rhode Island. In addition, she researched specific effects of fertilizers on Narragansett Bay and aimed her project toward helping the community understand what specifically needs to be done to prevent algae blooms and dead zones that would be harmful to everyone. She generally cares about our global society. The combination of Elena's intellect and compassion will serve her well in her future career in medicine. Elena will attend Brown University where she will study Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Truly someone who delights in life, Sophia Turner is a young woman of character and integrity. Sophia not only self-manages her academic life but also does so in her personal life. She enjoys events and activities familiar to her, such as spending time soaking in history, traveling, art, museums, aquariums, puzzles, music, true crime, and baking, decorating, and designing cakes but also loves engaging in new experiences. A member of the National Honor Society and the National Language Honor Society, Sophia is a stellar student who is enrolled in many Advanced Placement and Honors courses. Her favorite subjects are those under the history umbrella and she plans to pursue a career in international law as it is her desire to help build a universal standard of living all over the world. Her curiosity pushes her to learn more and do more as she takes enjoyment in learning new subject areas and trying new activities. Ambitious, she sets goals for herself and persists on until she has succeeded. Sophia identifies problems quickly and can also rectify them in the same timely manner. Sophia is a valued and respected participant in many clubs and organizations such as; the Social Justice Club, Math Team, Community Service Club, and Green Club. Her leadership skills have blossomed throughout high school as she served as President of the Mock Trial Team, Secretary of the Future Business Leaders of America, and Assistant Captain of Model UN where she earned Outstanding Delegate at LynxMUN in 2024 and Honorable Delegate at EagleMUNC in 2024. Sophia will be furthering her education at Georgetown University where she will pursue a degree in International Politics. A dedicated student and stellar human being, Heather Williams is a young woman who has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. In each class she enters, many of which are Advanced Placement or Honors courses, she yearns to soak in as much information as she can in order to reach her goal of pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering with a further pursuit of employment in the automotive industry. She is a self-motivated, self-directed learner whose determination, organizational skills, and analytical mind combine to assist in securing her academic success. Heather is a creative problem solver whose pursuit and attainment of solutions is commonplace for her. Enrolled in our school's Academy of Engineering Design, Heather's favorite subject is math, as numbers are like a work of art to her. Her willful yet calm demeanor enables her to stick with difficult tasks and see them through to successful completion. A member of the National Honor Society, the National Language Honor Society, and the Community Service Club, being part of a group larger than oneself is important to Heather. Heather's leadership qualities have flourished as an upperclassman. As President of the Green Team she spearheaded Earthfest, the annual Tree-Plenish Initiative that distributed over fifty tree saplings to our community. She has also taken on the leadership role of Grant Writer for this club. One of her grants secured five thousand dollars for the restoration of our, now thriving, school pond. Her most current grant, a six-page document, requests $85,000 to be used to build a school greenhouse. Her involvement has earned her the well-deserved Environmental Champion Award. Her stewardship has also been noted as a member of Model UN where she has been named Captain, Best Delegate, Best Speaker, and also received a verbal commendation. Pursuing a major in Automotive/Mechanical Engineering, Heather will further her education at Clemson University. This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Portsmouth High School class of 2025 Top 10 students
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
This Particle Isn't Following the Rules of Physics. Maybe the Rules Are Wrong.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: For nearly a century, the magnetic anomaly of the fundamental particle known as a muon has served as a means to test theories against experimental reality. Recently, an international collaboration powered by the U.S.-based Fermilab has released its most accurate data on this anomalous magnetic dipole moment, known as g-2 ('gee minus two'). These new results align closely with recent theoretical predictions, and will serve as a benchmark moving forward. The Standard Model of Particle Physics is a remarkable scientific achievement spanning nearly a century, and its predictive power has proven incredibly consistent. However, any scientific model worth its salt also needs to withstand experimental scrutiny, and one of the places those tests are employed is Fermilab. Starting in 2017, an international collaboration of scientists have used data from Fermilab's 50-foot-diameter magnetic ring to measure the wobble of a fundamental particle known as a muon in what is referred to as the lab's 'muon g-2 experiment.' More than 200 times heavier than electrons, muons only survive for a few microseconds, but they have spins that makes them act like tiny magnets. This wobble, or precession, is due to an external magnetic field is called a g-factor, and a century ago, this factor was found to be 2 (hence the name 'muon g-2 experiment'). However, the introduction of quantum field theory complicates this number by bringing strong, weak, and Higgs fields interactions into the equation. This slight deviation from the '2' prediction is known as the muon's anomalous magnetic dipole moment. To better understand this anomaly, Fermilab has consistently released results from its run of experiments that stretches from 2017 to 2023. On June 3, 2025, the muon g-2 experiment finally released its full results, with a precision of roughly 127 parts-per-billion—the most sensitive and accurate measurement of the muon's magnetic anomaly to date. The results of the study were submitted to the journal Physical Review D. 'The anomalous magnetic moment, or g–2, of the muon is important because it provides a sensitive test of the Standard Model of particle physics,' Regina Rameika, the U.S. Department of Energy's Associate Director for the Office of High Energy Physics, said in a press statement. 'This is an exciting result and it is great to see an experiment come to a definitive end with a precision measurement.' Understanding this precise measurement of muon g-2 can help scientists discover new physics, as any deviation between experimental results and theoretical predictions using the Standard Model could point toward unknowns in our understanding of the subatomic world. While experimental physicists work to perfect ways of measuring the magnetic anomaly, theoretical physicists—especially those participating in the Muon Theory Initiative, which released its own update in late May—have largely sorted themselves into two 'camps' when calculating this theoretical prediction, according to Ethan Siegel at Big Think. One camp takes a data-driven approach to Hadronic vacuum polarization and the other uses a computational-based Lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) technique. In 2021, it appeared that Fermilab's initial results were much closer to the Lattice QCD computational calculations, dampening (but not eliminating) the possibility of new physics orbiting the muon. Now, with this new calculation in hand, scientists can move forward with renewed confidence in an experimental result that's been a popular test of the Standard Model of Physics for a century. 'As it has been for decades, the magnetic moment of the muon continues to be a stringent benchmark of the Standard Model,' Simon Corrodi, assistant physicist at Argonne National Laboratory and analysis co-coordinator, said in a press statement. 'The new experimental result sheds new light on this fundamental theory and will set the benchmark for any new theoretical calculation to come.' This isn't the end for measuring the muon magnetic anomaly—the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex aims to make its own g-2 measurements in the 2030s (though Fermilab says that its initial precision will be worse than their own latest results). Today, this muon g-2 result is a testament of the incredible engineering and multidisciplinary scientific effort required to uncover just a little bit more about our ever-mysterious universe. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?