Something very fundamental is not right in the universe!
You've probably had that thought before, given the many issues bombarding us these days.
But I'm not talking about world events.
I'm talking about the very fabric of reality.
Physicists at the US government's Fermi National Accelerator Lab crashed particles together over 10 years and measured the mass of four million W bosons, the subatomic particles responsible for the force at the center of atoms.
These amazing particles barely exist, as they are constantly popping in and out of existence in what is referred to as "the quantum foam" which is understood to be the very fabric of the universe.
The problem is, as a result of the experiment, those fundamental particles were found to have more mass than they were supposed to.
They came in overweight (and they can't blame it on the pandemic! :)
To continue with the weight metaphor, the implications of this are huge.
If the result is confirmed by replicating the experiment, it would present a massive problem for the standard model of physics.
It would mean the explanation that has been used to describe how the universe works is fundamentally flawed.
Dave Toback, a particle physicist and spokesperson for the Lab, said in an AP article that if the results are replicated, "It's not just something is wrong, it literally means something fundamental in our understanding of nature is wrong."
In other words, it calls into question our very understanding of reality.
But would the demise of the standard model of physics really be that bad?
I consider myself a consciousnist (a term I coined for those of us who understand the fundamental "fabric" of the universe is consciousness), so to me this is actually good news.
Often for something new to emerge, something old has to change or die.
Since the standard model of physics doesn't explain dark matter or even gravity itself very well, it could be time for the standard model to either be expanded, abandoned, or subsumed into a greater, more accurate explanation.
The overweight particle could pave the way for a whole new physics that is better understood as metaphysics.
The historical hyper-focus on matter, on the material world as the only legitimate realm of scientific study could give way to a focus on the unseen forces behind the material world from which the material world emerges.
The merging of science and spirit would legitimize human consciousness and the important role it plays, in others words - the important role you play - in the universe.
So I guess sometimes being overweight can be a good thing.
