
Scientists make antimatter discovery that could unlock secrets of big bang
Much of what we see in everyday life is made up of matter. But antimatter exists in much smaller quantities.
Matter and antimatter are almost direct opposites. Matter particles have an antimatter counterpart that has the same mass, but the opposite electric charge. For example, the matter proton particle is partnered by the antimatter antiproton, while the matter electron is partnered by the antimatter positron.
However, the symmetry in behaviour between matter and antimatter is not perfect. In a paper published this week in Nature, the team working on an experiment at Cern, called LHCb, has reported that it has discovered differences in the rate at which matter particles called baryons decay relative to the rate of their antimatter counterparts.
In particle physics, decay refers to the process where unstable subatomic particles transform into two or more lighter, more stable particles.
According to cosmological models, equal amounts of matter and antimatter were made in the big bang. If matter and antimatter particles come in contact, they annihilate one another, leaving behind pure energy.
With this in mind, it's a wonder that the universe doesn't consist only of leftover energy from this annihilation process.
However, astronomical observations show that there is now a negligible amount of antimatter in the universe compared to the amount of matter. We therefore know that matter and antimatter must behave differently, such that the antimatter has disappeared while the matter has not.
Understanding what causes this difference in behaviour between matter and antimatter is a key unanswered question. While there are differences between matter and antimatter in our best theory of fundamental quantum physics, the standard model, these differences are far too small to explain where all the antimatter has gone.
So we know there must be additional fundamental particles that we haven't found yet, or effects beyond those described in the standard model. These would give rise to large enough differences in the behaviour of matter and antimatter for our universe to exist in its current form.
Revealing new particles
Highly precise measurements of the differences between matter and antimatter are a key topic of research because they have the potential to be influenced by and reveal these new fundamental particles, helping us discover the physics that led to the universe we live in today.
Differences between matter and antimatter have previously been observed in the behaviour of another type of particle, mesons, which are made of a quark and an antiquark. There are also hints of differences in how the matter and antimatter versions of a further type of particle, the neutrino, behave as they travel.
The new measurement from LHCb has found differences between baryons and antibaryons, which are made of three quarks and three antiquarks respectively. Significantly, baryons make up most of the known matter in our universe, and this is the first time that we have observed differences between matter and antimatter in this group of particles.
The LHCb experiment at the Large Hadron Collider is designed to make highly precise measurements of differences in the behaviour of matter and antimatter. The experiment is operated by an international collaboration of scientists, made up of over 1,800 people based in 24 countries.
In order to achieve the new result, the LHCb team studied over 80,000 baryons ('lambda-b' baryons, which are made up of a beauty quark, an up quark and a down quark) and their antimatter counterparts.
Crucially, we found that these baryons decay to specific subatomic particles (a proton, a kaon and two pions) slightly more frequently – 5 per cent more often – than the rate at which the same process happens with antiparticles.
While small, this difference is statistically significant enough to be the first observation of differences in behaviour between baryon and antibaryon decays.
To date, all measurements of matter-antimatter differences have been consistent with the small level present in the standard model. While the new measurement from LHCb is also in line with this theory, it is a major step forward.
We have now seen differences in the behaviour of matter and antimatter in the group of particles that dominate the known matter of the universe. It's a potential step in the direction of understanding why that situation came to be after the big bang.
With the current and forthcoming data runs of LHCb we will be able to study these differences forensically, and, we hope, tease out any sign of new fundamental particles that might be present.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
The role llamas might play in treating schizophrenia
Llamas – likely without red pajamas – may hold the key to treating schizophrenia. The serious brain disorder causes people to interpret reality abnormally, and affects approximately 3.7 million U.S. adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years old, according to the nonprofit RTI International. But the domesticated South American woolly animal might be be able to help. French researchers said this week that they had used llama antibodies, or proteins that help to protect the immune system, to design a tiny fragment of an antibody known as a 'nanobody' that will trigger a neurotransmitter in the brain involved in regulating neural activity. Neurotransmitters are chemical molecules that carry messages or signals from one nerve cell to the next target cell, according to the Cleveland Clinic. No llamas were harmed in the study and researchers can identify nanobodies in a petri dish. In the past, llama antibodies have also proven effective in fighting Covid and other 'SARS-like' viruses. When scientists at the Institute of Functional Genomics injected the molecule into the veins or the muscles, it was able to break the blood-brain barrier and effectively reach brain receptors. The barrier is a a tightly locked layer of cells that defend your brain from harmful substances. Studying the impact of the nanobodies in two tests using mice, the researchers found that they corrected cognitive deficits that were observed. There was an improvement of cognitive function with just one shot, and a prolonged effect over one week. Clinical studies are now required to show that their findings could be a new avenue of treatment for schizophrenia. "In humans obviously we don't know [yet], but in mice yes, it is sufficient to treat most deficits of schizophrenia," molecular biologist Jean-Philippe Pin told Newsweek.. He was a co-author of the research which was published in the journal Nature. Pin said that medications currently given to schizophrenia patients "treat the symptoms well, but less the cognitive deficits." The cause of the chronic condition remains unknown, but the World Health Organization says it is thought that an interaction between genes and a range of environmental factors may be the reason. The exact prevalence of schizophrenia is difficult to measure. Some have tied cases in Canada to cannabis use. Although schizophrenia can occur at any age, people are typically diagnosed between the ages of 16 and 30. Symptoms vary from person to person. There is no cure, but it can be treated through antipsychotic medications, talk therapy, and self-management strategies, the National Alliance on Mental Illness says. The study's authors hope to add this strategy to the list. 'This research confirms the potential of nanobodies as a new therapeutic strategy for acting on the brain, with their use eventually being broadened to include the treatment of other neurological illnesses,' the institute said in a statement.


Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
New drug could halt Alzheimer's
A new drug could halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease. Trials suggest the treatment, called trontinemab, could be the most powerful weapon yet against dementia. Research will now examine whether the drug should be given to those without any symptoms in order to prevent the disease. Results presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto found the 'game-changing' treatment can clear the devastating plaques associated with Alzheimer's far more rapidly than any current licensed drug. Nine in 10 patients prescribed trontinemab experienced amyloid clearance within 28 weeks, meaning visible markers of disease had vanished. Experts hope these changes will be matched by improvements in memory and functioning, with an 18-month trial of 1,600 patients now under way. Separate research will examine whether the drug could be given to people without any signs of dementia, in the same way that statins are used to ward off heart disease. On Monday, experts said the findings were 'very promising', suggesting that the drug was much more powerful than existing medications, with far fewer side effects. Around one million people in the UK suffer from dementia, with Alzheimer's disease the most common form. Powerful precise effects at low doses Trontinemab is one of a class of new medicines aimed at clearing amyloid plaques. The new findings from phase two trials suggest that, in less than seven months, it has outperformed the ability of existing drugs to clear plaques in 18 months. Experts hope that if given early enough, the drug could save some patients from developing symptoms at all. It has been engineered to more easily cross the blood-brain barrier, meaning it can ensure powerful precise effects at low doses. The lack of side effects means it could be offered to large populations. This also means it could be offered at a far lower price than current medications, which require intense monitoring, including regular scans. Experts believe it could become the first Alzheimer's drug to be funded by the NHS. Last year, medicines regulators in the UK gave the green light to the first two treatments found to slow progression of Alzheimer's disease. Both lecanemab and donanemab use monoclonal antibodies to clear amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease. In trials they have been found to slow decline by 27 per cent and 35 per cent respectively, over 18 months. However, the risk of brain swelling and brain bleeds means they need intense monitoring. The new drug appears to have a far better safety profile. The phase two trial of 149 patients found less than five per cent of cases suffering amyloid-related imaging abnormalities, and all cases quickly resolved. It also requires less frequent infusions, with mass trials to examine the impact of giving the drug to patients once a month for six months, then every three months. Scientists have been intrigued by the promise of trontinemab because of the way it has been designed to be transported across the blood brain-barrier, which normally prevents chemicals in the bloodstream from entering the brain. 'Game-changing' Prof Sir John Hardy,the chairman of molecular biology of neurological disease at University College London's Institute of Neurology said the advance could be 'game-changing'. He told The Telegraph: 'This is absolutely great news. It sucks the plaque out of the brain really quickly, much faster than we have seen with lecanemab or donanemab.' The scientist, who was the first to identify the role of amyloid in the disease, said the drug's safety profile was a 'massive improvement' on the current drugs on the market, raising hopes it could be used both to prevent disease and stop it in its tracks. He said: 'There is no doubt this could be game-changing. We hope that if we can use these drugs to people early, we can halt the progression of disease, even before people have symptoms. Now we need to see the size of the clinical effect.' Neither of the current drugs have been funded by the NHS as a result of their high costs, much of which stems from the need for intense monitoring, including regular scans. Prof Hardy said: 'These results show it is much faster and safer than previous drugs, which means less monitoring. That brings down the cost significantly, it means fewer MRI scans, so that would surely mean it would get Nice [National Institute of Health and Care Excellence] approval.' 'Very promising evidence' Prof Jonathan Schott, the chief medical officer at Alzheimer's Research UK said: 'We urgently need a range of treatments for Alzheimer's that are effective and safe for the people affected by this devastating disease. 'Evidence presented at the Alzheimer's Association conference in Toronto on trontinemab is very promising, showing that the drug can effectively and rapidly clear amyloid from the brain, seemingly with very few side effects. 'We now need to see whether these early stage results carry through to later stage clinical trials, which are planned to start later this year, including in the UK. These trials will show whether the drug is not only safe, but impacts on memory, thinking and quality of life.' He said it was 'exciting' that the drug would now be tested in some people without symptoms under the phase three trials. Levi Garraway, Roche's chief medical officer said: 'Combining new treatment avenues with advanced diagnostics may enable earlier and potentially more effective intervention. 'With plans for phase three trials in both early symptomatic and preclinical Alzheimer's disease, we are advancing science with the goal of delaying – and ultimately preventing – progression of this devastating condition.'


Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Scientist stores data in animal for the first time
A scientist has saved an image inside a bird's brain in what is believed to be the world's first case of storing data inside an animal. Benn Jordan, a musician and acoustic scientist, was able to 'write' the picture – a drawing of a bird – to a European starling by converting it to an audio file and playing it to the songbird. The bird was able to repeat the sound with remarkable accuracy, allowing the image to be recreated when put through computer software. 'To my knowledge, this may technically be the first time anyone has ever stored data in an animal,' Mr Jordan said. Images, as well as potentially other types of information, can be converted into sounds using a spectral synthesiser, which represents sound waves in a visual format known as a spectrogram. Mr Jordan drew a simple picture of a bird and converted it into a sound: a split-second electronic sweep that would be meaningless to the human ear. He played it to the starling, a rescue bird called 'The Mouth', which was later able to repeat back the sound faithfully. When converted back into a spectrogram, the recording of the starling's song looked remarkably similar to Mr Jordan's drawing. The bird had effectively saved the picture as an audio signature, in the same way that it might be stored on a hard disk as ones and zeroes. European starlings are known to have extraordinary mimicry abilities and can produce complex acoustic structures, making them uniquely capable of repeating the unconventional sound produced by converting a picture into a spectrogram. Mr Jordan said the starling had effectively saved 176 kilobytes of data. In theory, other types of data such as text could be converted and 'stored' within birds. 'The fact that you could set up a speaker in your yard and conceivably store any amount of data in songbirds is crazy,' he said. Starlings often store a large repertoire of songs to impress potential mates, with adult starlings having up to 67, according to one study. Researchers have been looking for alternative ways of storing data amid an explosion in the amount of information being created. Microsoft has experimented with storing data in DNA and in etched glass. Audio signals have previously been used to transmit data. Advertising companies have in the past experimented with ultrasonic beacons that could be detected by smartphone apps to detect if a person was watching an advert.