Lone neutrons quickly decay, but scientists don't agree on how long the particles stick around before their demise. New experiments could resolve the dispute - or deepen the mystery. Outside of an atomic nucleus, neutrons survive only about 15 minutes on average. They quickly decay into a proton, an electron and an antineutrino. Two methods used for measuring the neutron lifetime with precision disagree, leaving scientists uncertain about the subatomic particle's true longevity (SN: 5/19/12, p. 20).
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