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New Subatomic Particle Discovered

A scientific team at the KEK laboratory in Japan has discovered a new sub-atomic particle which it is calling the X(3872).

The particle has a mass of 3872 MeV - higher than theoretical predictions - and its decay into more stable particles also does not follow current theory. Scientists are speculating that X(3872) is a type of meson that contains four quarks.

Particle physicists have until recently only detected particles containing two or three quarks. Recently, however, evidence has emerged for another four-quark particle known as the Ds(2317) and a five-quark particle known as the pentaquark.

The KEK discovery has been confirmed by Fermilab in the US, where the new particle is being called the "mystery meson."