Do you know Earth is bombarded by particles from outer space that pass through every obstacle – even the human body – without being stopped. These ‘ghost particles’ are called neutrinos and are primarily generated by nuclear reactions happening in the Sun’s core. Even light takes some time to escape the Sun’s dense core, but neutrinos are simply unstoppable. Like the fictional Marvel character Juggernaut, these particles can pass through all the obstacles (though not like a wrecking ball) without being noticed.
Today, scientists are trying to determine the neutrino’s mass, how it interacts with matter, and whether the neutrino is its own antiparticle (a particle with the same mass but opposite electric or magnetic properties) or not. Because they contain information about the place where they originated – unlike light particles that are trapped or scattered, these ghost particles are useful for scientists. Neutrino’s existence was detected in 1930, but it took 26 years to discover the particle, according to US Department of Energy (DoE).
Some scientists think neutrinos might be why all anti-matter (the antiparticles of all matter) disappeared after the Big Bang, leaving us in a universe made of matter, the DoE further said.
