Anti-Matter Actually Falls Down

We (well not me, again) recently created antimatter hydrogen, consisting of a positron (the “positive” electron) orbiting a negatively charged proton. They trapped a bunch of this stuff in a magnetic suspension cage within a vacuum, then, wait for it, switched off the field.

What happened? It dropped. Gravity behaved exactly the same on antimatter as it does on ordinary matter. Most researchers expected this result, but science is all about testing assumptions. If it hadn’t fallen, it would’ve flipped our understanding of physics upside down.

So, it’s not the most shocking outcome—but it’s still a thrilling confirmation that nature runs by rules we can trust. And who knows? The next experiment might reveal something that doesn’t behave so predictably.