Scientists try to solve the mystery of the helium nucleus – and end up more confused than ever

An illustration of a helium atom, with two protons and neutrons in its nucleus.

One of nature’s simplest elements is giving scientists a major headache after new research shows that protons and neutrons in helium atoms don’t behave as theory suggests they should. The mismatch between theoretical predictions of how these particles behave and what they actually do could point to new physics beyond the Standard Model, the reigning … Read more