CERN finds new particle that's 4 times heavier than proton
CERN scientists have spotted a brand-new particle, Kscc+, that is about four times heavier than a regular proton.
It was discovered with the help of upgraded LHCb detectors and announced in mid-March 2026.
This heavy baryon is made up of two charm quarks and one down quark, a rare combo in the subatomic world.
Find solves a nearly 10-year-old mystery
This find finally solves a nearly 10-year-old mystery.
Earlier experiments thought they had seen this particle but got its mass wrong—now CERN's measurement lines up with what physicists expected and is consistent with theoretical expectations based on its 2017 partner.
The detection was rock-solid too: scientists observed about 915 decay events, and it was reported with a statistical significance of 7s (seven sigma).
A global effort
The detector upgrade that made this possible was led by researchers from Manchester, showing off the U.K.'s ongoing impact in global physics projects.
More than 1,000 scientists from 20 countries teamed up for this breakthrough, proof that science is definitely an international team sport.