The signal that shouldn’t exist

A NASA experiment over Antarctica detected radio waves rising upward from deep beneath the ice-something that should be impossible. The signals, recorded by the ANITA balloon, traveled through thousands of kilometers of rock and ice without fading, defying every rule of physics.

At first, scientists believed they might have discovered a new type of particle, maybe even evidence of dark matter or a missing neutrino. But when other major detectors like IceCube and Pierre Auger found nothing to confirm the event, the mystery only deepened.

Now researchers suspect a strange environmental effect may be bending radio waves in ways no one has seen before. Still, no one can say for sure what’s causing these impossible signals.

As NASA prepares its next-generation mission, PUEO, one question remains: are these strange radio bursts a natural illusion of the Antarctic landscape-or the universe sending a signal from far beyond our understanding?