the first momentsReputable sourceWell documented
The Matter–Antimatter Asymmetry
On the timeline · around the first moments · The First Instants
What happened
In the earliest instants, matter and antimatter were created in almost equal amounts — and wherever they met, they annihilated into pure energy. Yet a tiny excess of matter survived: roughly one extra matter particle for every billion matter–antimatter pairs.
Why it matters
That minuscule imbalance is the reason anything exists at all. Every galaxy, star, planet and person is built from the sliver of matter that was left over.
How we know
The Standard Model of physics cannot fully explain why matter won out; experiments at CERN are still probing the cause.
Sources
- CERN. Antimatter · Reputable source