An international research group, including scientists from Penn State, has reported that a cosmic particle detector in Antarctica has picked up mysterious signals that challenge current particle physics theories. The signals were captured by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, which uses instruments on high-altitude balloons to detect radio waves from cosmic rays.

The main objective of the experiment is to study distant cosmic events by analyzing signals reaching Earth. Surprisingly, the radio pulses did not bounce off the ice but seemed to originate from below the horizon, a phenomenon that contradicts existing particle physics knowledge. This discovery suggests the possibility of new particles or interactions previously unknown to science.

The team's findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters.