Under supersymmetry, dark matter could be made up of fermions, which are superpartners of bosons.
One form of supersymmetry predicts that there should be five Higgs bosons, which are each slightly different.
This is a consequence of an idea called supersymmetry, or susy for short.
ECONOMIST: The hunt for physics��s most elusive quarry is over
In a bid to restore yet more symmetry to the universe, a number of particle physicists are developing a theory called supersymmetry.
ECONOMIST: Particle physics makes sense, but it assumes too much
The worry is that the basic idea of supersymmetry might be wrong.
According to Dr Lykken, some younger theoretical physicists are beginning to develop completely novel ideas because they believe supersymmetry to be "old hat" .
Primack proposed an idea for dark matter in 1982 that is still a leading contender: The notion that supersymmetry is responsible for dark matter.
Some old ideas that emerged around the same time as supersymmetry are being resurrected now there is a prospect that supersymmetry may be on the wane.
Under supersymmetry, every particle has a heavier superpartner.
"Young theorists especially would love to see supersymmetry go down the drain, because it means that the real thing is something they could invent - not something that was invented by the older generation, " he said.
The first order of business for LHC scientists when the collisions resume in 2015 will be to test the Higgs that's been discovered, to see if it shows any of the properties predicted by supersymmetry, according to Dr Wells.
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