## The Scientific Race for the Meaning of Life: The US and Japan Seek the Reason for the Universe's Existence
Kyiv • UNN
Scientists from the US and Japan are simultaneously researching neutrinos to understand why matter exists in the Universe. Their large-scale projects may reveal the greatest mystery of the world's origin.
American and Japanese scientists are in a "race" to be the first to figure out why our Universe exists. This was reported by the BBC, writes UNN.
Details
According to the media, the current theory of the origin of the Universe cannot explain the existence of the planets, stars and galaxies that we see around us. According to the theory, matter and antimatter should have completely destroyed each other. But that didn't happen — we exist. Scientists suggest that the key to the puzzle may lie in the subatomic particle neutrino.
In the USA, as part of the international DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) project, more than 1,400 scientists from 35 countries are building a large-scale detector deep underground in South Dakota. Scientists will study how neutrinos and antineutrinos change as they travel 800 miles — from Illinois to an underground complex in Dakota.
Dr. Kate Shaw from the University of Sussex noted that the discoveries that await us will be "transformative" for our understanding of the Universe and humanity's view of itself.
Scientists have shown stunning video of the aurora borealis on Jupiter13.05.25, 17:55 • 3768 views
It's great that we are here now, with the technologies, engineering, and computer software skills that allow us to really solve these important questions
On the other side of the world, Japanese scientists have joined in similar studies. As part of the Hyper-Kamiokande (Hyper-K) project, they are building a new powerful detector — an improved version of the existing Super-K. The device consists of thousands of glowing golden photosensors, which visually resemble a temple of science — a kind of mirror image of the American underground "cathedral" DUNE, located more than 9,000 kilometers away.
Like Dune, Hyper-K is an international collaboration. Dr. Mark Scott from Imperial College London believes that his team is in a winning position to make one of the greatest discoveries about the origin of the Universe.
We are turning on earlier and we have a bigger detector, so we should have more sensitivity earlier than Dune
Conducting both experiments at the same time means that scientists will learn more than if only one experiment was conducted, but, according to him, "I would like to do it first!"
However, Dr. Linda Cremonesi from Queen Mary University of London, who is working on the Dune project, says that even if the Japanese-led team comes first, she may not get the full picture of what is really happening.