Have Scientists Discovered A Fifth Force Of Nature?

Revolutionary experiments may point to a new force, or an undiscovered subatomic particle

For over 50 years, scientists have found that the Standard Model of particle physics has performed well in the face of rigorous testing. It has been able to accurately predict the behaviour of the universe’s fundamental particles, as shown in numerous experiments, and has proven more than capable time and time again of explaining three of the four known forces of nature.

Even so, scientists have long known that it isn’t perfect. The rule book describes electromagnetism as well as weak and strong interactions, yet it lacks a description of gravity. “It does not explain how the universe we live in is made of matter when presumably the Big Bang created equal parts matter and antimatter,” adds Professor David Hertzog of the University of Washington. “It does not explain neutrino mass, either, nor dark matter and a few other things.”

As such, physicists have been motivated to keep testing the Standard Model’s ability to predict, and what has emerged from experiments this century has proven rather startling. Scientists are now close to turning our understanding of fundamental particles on its head, having potentially discovered something new in nature. It might help explain some of the greatest conundrums that the universe presents.