A Cosmic Photon May Be Challenging Einstein’s Physics

A mysterious ultra-high-energy photon from the brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected somehow survived a two-billion-light-year journey that standard physics says should have stopped it.

Scientists propose that axion-like particles and a possible violation of Lorentz invariance could explain its unexpected survival and delayed arrival—potentially offering clues to new laws of quantum gravity.

This episode includes AI-generated content.