Antimatter discovery could launch new era of physics

[zonkers]

The discovery that a bizarre particle travels between the real world of matter and the spooky realm of antimatter 3 trillion times a second may open the door to a new era of physics, Fermilab researchers announced Monday.

The incredibly rapid commuting rate of the B sub s meson particle had been predicted by the Standard Model, the successful but incomplete theory aimed at explaining how matter and energy interact to form the visible universe. After 20 years of trying, scientists have now confirmed the rate, providing strong evidence for the theory.

The monumentally precise technology developed to measure the meson's back and forth dashes also may open the way to discovering a new family of fundamental particles and possibly a set of new forces that could be harnessed for technological applications, physicists suggested.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/nation/15607073.htm

[okoboji]

1. "a set of new forces that could be harnessed......

oh swell, find new improved ways of killing the planet and it's contents. Not that scientists want this, but I'm sure some freak somewhere in the military industry is full of excitement of the possibility.

[aquart]

3. Glass half empty, huh?

People have worked tirelessly for decades on this. It's a triumphant discovery.

[Occulus]

9. Potential energy source, maybe? n/t

[soothsayer]

2. Cool! Here comes the antimatter drive! Star Trek here we come!

[Botany]

4. Damn Science always looking for something

[lvx35]

5. Wow, "the spooky realm of anti-matter"

isn't it a mindjob just to think that a vast spooky realm of anti-matter actually exists, and isn't something from a movie?

[Ganja Ninja]

10. Who says we aren't living on the spooky side of the...

matter/anti-matter universe?

[lvx35]

11. Hey, we probably are...

The Bush on the other side must be such a brilliant leader: Succeeding at his endeavours instead of failing, institutionalizing love instead of torture... :)

[Dogmudgeon]

6. The "Bs" meson?

Can we be sure this isn't a piece of satire?

;-)

--p!

[tocqueville]

13. it's true, they used a Bs detector

which showed a heavy flux of morons located in an area near Pennsylvania Av.

[Dogmudgeon]

14. Yeah!

<Big Old Honkin' Laugh>

:thumbsup:

--p!

[xchrom]

7. ooooh! cool!

aunty matter!

[Glorfindel]

8. Known affectionately as "aunty Em"

:evilgrin:

[phantom power]

12. Antimatter is "spooky?" What a gomer.

And what new forces? I thought the whole point of this experiment is that it supports the standard model, which involves the 4 forces we are familiar with. Am I missing something?

[Orrex]

15. Maybe they discovered midichlorians?

That would be a new Force, wouldn't it?

[Random_Australian]

16. Focus, Luke! Use the power of the electromagnetic force!

:)

[RagAss]

17. Perhaps the world of anti-matter is the "real world".....

Just sayin................