This theoretical explanation could also help explain some of the outstanding questions about the accelerating expansion of the universe. The team explains the possible existence of a particle known as the “torstone,” which would be linked to torsion that could be detected in future experience—if this theory proves out.

Of course, that’s a pretty big if. With the Nobel Prize-winning discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012, the idea of a Higgs scalar field is a strong theory in the standard model. And as with every incredible theoretical idea, this new proposal requires equally incredible evidence. Luckily, scientists are developing ever more-sensitive detectors for probing these very questions. But until scientists can glimpse some semblance of a “torstone,” or other piece pointing to the complicated interaction between higher-dimensional space time and mass, this idea will remain just that—an idea.