Breaking Strange radio pulses detected coming from ice in Antarctica

Scientists have detected mysterious radio waves emanating from beneath the ice in Antarctica, a phenomenon that continues to baffle researchers. The signals were first picked up by the Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA), an experiment designed to detect cosmic neutrinos, but their origin remains unexplained. As of June 17, 2025, researchers are still investigating the source of these anomalous signals, which defy current understanding of particle physics.

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• ANITA Experiment: The Antarctic Impulsive Transient Antenna (ANITA) experiment, which involves instruments flown on balloons high above Antarctica, detected the strange radio pulses. These signals were at steep angles, around 30 degrees below the surface of the ice, and should have been absorbed by the rock they passed through, making their detection perplexing.

• Pierre Auger Observatory Study: A team of researchers analyzed data from the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, which is designed to study high-energy cosmic rays. They conducted simulations and reviewed data from 2004 to 2018 but did not find similar signals, ruling out neutrinos as the source of the ANITA detections.

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• Potential New Physics: The origin of these signals remains a mystery, with scientists speculating that they may hint at new types of particles or interactions previously unknown to science. Stephanie Wissel, an associate professor involved with the ANITA team, suggested that the signals might be due to some unknown radio propagation effects near the ice and horizon.

• Future Investigations: Plans are underway for the next-generation ultra-high energy particle detector, the Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO), which is expected to fly over Antarctica during the upcoming austral summer. This mission aims to gather more data to help unravel the mystery of these strange signals.