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Space

Physicists want to drill a 5-kilometre-deep hole on the moon

Going deep into lunar rock could give us an opportunity to see if protons can decay into something else – a finding that could help us unify conflicting physics theories

By Alex Wilkins

7 June 2024

Detailed close up view of the moon

Going below the surface of the moon could help us probe particle physics

Milan Rademakers/Shutterstock

Drilling a 5-kilometre-deep hole in the moon could finally provide evidence that protons can fall apart, claim a group of physicists. If this previously unseen behaviour is spotted, it would help efforts to unify incompatible physics theories.

The standard model of particle physics, which is our best working picture of how the forces and particles that make up our universe interact, says that protons are stable, living forever. This model…

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