We may have finally solved an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray puzzle
New ScientistFriday, July 11, 2025 at 8:30:28 PM
Scientists using the IceCube neutrino detector in Antarctica might have cracked a long-standing mystery about ultra-high-energy cosmic rays—those baffling, supercharged particles from deep space. While they’ve narrowed down what kinds of particles these cosmic rays are made of, there’s still a lot we don’t know about where they come from or how they get so energetic.
Editor’s Note: Cosmic rays with mind-boggling energy levels have puzzled scientists for decades—some pack the punch of a fast-pitched baseball, but they’re just tiny particles. Figuring out what they’re made of is a big step toward understanding the universe’s most extreme phenomena, like supermassive black holes or colliding galaxies. Even with this breakthrough, though, the hunt for answers is far from over.
— Curated via WP Now’s
