Ettore famously showed that particles could be their own antiparticles. ‘Dark matter’, which makes up most of the Universe, may be made out of these ‘Majorana particles’.

Ettore was born in Sicily to a family with a background in science and politics. He studied at the University of Rome, first studying engineering before switching to physics. Majorana suffered from poor mental health and when he was just 31, he suddenly disappeared. We will probably never know what really happened to him, but whatever his fate, he lives on with us today through his scientific legacy.