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Nasa team’s mind-blowing parallel universe ‘discovery’ faces doubts from other scientists

NASA scientists thought they may have found evidence of a bizarre parallel universe but now other experts are castings doubts.

Earlier this week, it was reported that a parallel universe where time runs backwards may have been discovered during experiments in Antartica.

The startling discovery was reportedly made during cosmic ray experiments
The startling discovery was reportedly made during cosmic ray experimentsCredit: NASA

The experiment involved a giant helium balloon carrying Nasa’s Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna, ANITA.

This was said to detect particles that defy the laws of physics.

However, Pat Scott, an astroparticle phenomenologist at the University of Queensland, told CNET: "There’s nothing that necessarily makes it a detection of a parallel universe."

Other scientists also explained to the news outlet that the parallel universe theory is just one of many theories and not a definite answer.

One theory is the Big Bang sparked multiple universes
One theory is the Big Bang sparked multiple universesCredit: Science Photo Library - Getty

A recent New Scientist article about Nasa's cosmic ray experiment in Antarctica got people talking about a potential parallel universe.

The discovery was apparently made while experts were working on an experiment in Antarctica to detect cosmic rays.

The concept of a "twin universe" has been around for decades but the new research found particles which might just be from another realm also born during the Big Bang,

Scientists used a giant balloon to carry NASA’s Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) high above the frozen wastes of Antarctica.

It reached heights where the frigid air provided the perfect environment with little to no radio noise to distort any findings, reports the Daily Star.

There is a constant “wind’ of high-energy particles coming from space some of which are a million times more powerful than anything generated on Earth.

Low-energy neutrinos with a mass close to zero can pass completely through our planet, but higher-energy objects are stopped by the Earth's mass, according to the New Scientist.

That means the high-energy particles can only be detected coming “down” from space, but ANITA apparently detected heavier particles which seemed to come “up” out of Earth.

Scientists used a giant balloon to carry a NASA antenna above Antarctica
Scientists used a giant balloon to carry a NASA antenna above AntarcticaCredit: Alamy

That could mean that these particles are actually traveling backwards in time which is seen as possible evidence of a parallel universe.

Principal ANITA investigator Peter Gorham, of the University of Hawaii, suggested the only way a particle could behave that way is if it changed into a different type of particle before passing through the Earth and then back again.

Gorham, lead author on a Cornell University paper describing the odd phenomenon, noted that he and his fellow researchers had seen several of these “impossible events.”

“Not everyone was comfortable with the hypothesis,” he said.

The simplest explanation is that at the moment of the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, two universes were formed - ours and one where time goes backwards.

However, some believe the results could just be down to a scientific glitch.

Geraint Lewis, an astrophysicist at the University of Sydney, told CNET: "There are a number of potential candidate particles that could account for the results from ANITA.

"Whilst parallel universes sound exciting and sexy when discussing the ANITA signal, alternative ideas are still on the table."

Ron Ekers, an honorary fellow at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, told the publication that the theory was a "somewhat cheeky explanation … born out of the frustration of having nothing else that worked.”

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Dark matter: The invisible material that makes up 27% of the universe

Here are the key facts...

  • Dark matter is a material that scientists believe makes up almost a third of the known universe.
  • It has never been observed by scientists because it reflects no light, making it invisible.
  • Astronomers only know it exists because of its effects on other objects, such as the gravitational pull of galaxies.
  • According to the European Space Agency: 'Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.
  • 'That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.
  • 'Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.'
  • Dark matter is thought to hold galaxies together, stopping the rapidly spinning objects from being torn apart by their own gravity.
  • It is closely linked to dark energy, another hypothetical substance, which is thought to make up 68% of the known universe.
  • Together, that means 95% of the universe is made up of dark energy or dark matter – meaning all but 5% of the cosmos cannot be explained by modern physics.

In other space news, the first ground rocket test in the UK for 50 years could put the nation in the space race.

Rocket scientists want to mine the Moon for fuel.

And, a tropical storm has grounded a key SpaceX launch twice since Sunday.

What are your thoughts on the parallel universe theory? Let us know in the comments...
