More specifically, it spurs a paradox for the Standard Model of particle physics, a well-established, evolving theory that explains how all the universe's particles behave - protons, electrons, photons, and even those we don't really hear about like gluons, muons, I could go on. But it's actually a major problem for…kind of everything.

Unless you're a physicist, at first glance, this might sound trivial. According to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, 10 years of unimaginably precise data suggest the particle is more massive than our physics predicts.

Just know that without the weak force, the sun would basically stop burning.Īnyway, there's drama with the W boson. You may have even pondered photons, the stuff coming out of lightbulbs in your room.īut right now, we need to worry about an odd little particle that usually escapes the limelight: the W boson.Īlong with its partner-in-crime, the Z boson, the W boson dictates what's called the 'weak force.' I'm going to save you from the rabbit hole of how the weak force works because it involves physics that'll explode our minds. You've likely come across electrons, negative blips roaming around those protons. You've probably heard of protons, positive specks anchoring atoms.

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