Results showed an anomaly in the amount of matter and anti-matter in the universe leaving experts baffled as to how it has lasted so long.
They believe it should have destroyed itself instantly after it came into being 13.8 billion years ago.
According to the standard model, there were equal parts matter and anti-matter when the universe first began.
However, also according to the standard model, these matter and anti-matter parts should have annihilated each other and the universe when they came into contact.
Yet still, these parts still exist and make up the universe, leaving top experts scratching their heads as to why this is.
Christian Smorra, the author of a new study conducted at CERN, said: “All of our observations find a complete symmetry between matter and antimatter, which is why the universe should not actually exist.
“An asymmetry must exist here somewhere but we simply do not understand where the difference is. What is the source of the symmetry break?”.
One possibility could be the different levels of magnetism – electromagnetic force – in matter and anti-matter – but the latest research suggests that these levels are exactly the same, adding more confusion to the mystery.
Now they are looking to measure the difference between protons and anti-protons.
To do this, the CERN scientists ‘captured’ the anti-protons ion special “Penning traps” where they are able to measure the levels of magnetism.
Stefan Ulmer, spokesman of the group, said: “This tremendous increase in such a short period of time was only possible thanks to completely new methods.”
In 2016, astronomers warned that the universe has just an eighth of its life yet, signalling that it has entered old age.
By analysing data surrounding galaxies, supernovae, and ripples in baryon acoustic oscillations – a form of matter – which are all used to measure the presence of dark energy, a team, led by Diego Sáez-Gómez at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, found that the earliest a big rip in the universe can occur is 1.2 times that of the age of the universe – or 2.8 billion years.