The large hadron kolider at sern is a 27 kilometer tube that hurls particles together close to the speed of light. Scientists have found particles behaving a bit strangely, which could be pointing towards the existence of a fifth fundamental force of nature. So does the large hedron colider have another revolutionary discovery on its hands? And if it does, what could it mean for our fundamental understanding of the universe?
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) has recently been switched back on after a three-year hiatus to resolve a mysterious and tantalising result from its previous run. So far, everything discovered at the LHC has agreed with the standard model, the guiding theory of particle physics that describes the building blocks of matter, and the forces that guide them. However, recent findings show particles behaving in a way that can’t be explained by known physics. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Guardian science correspondent Hannah Devlin and Prof Jon Butterworth about why this might be a clue towards solving some of the deepest mysteries of the universe, and how the LHC will be searching for a potential fifth force of nature. This podcast was amended on 12 May 2022. An earlier version incorrectly claimed that the standard model incorporates four fundamental forces of nature, instead of three.. Help support our independent journalism at
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