Scientists have discovered that virtual particles, which are nearly impossible to detect in the vacuum, are often found in high-energy collisions and are often given an energy boost to last longer. These particles are not actually particles but disturbances caused by other particles. Researchers used the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island to create these virtual quarks and antiquarks. The research also revealed that the spin of these virtual particles made it possible to trace them back to the vacuum after they merged into larger particles. The study was published in Nature. It may be possible to finally figure out where the bulk of proton mass is created by processes occurring inside the proton.