In pop science media, supersymmetry has been one of the ideas that lead to support for a multiverse and all that. So, if it’s in trouble…
While supersymmetry has enjoyed widespread support from theorists for decades (who often portrayed it as the obvious next step in advancing our understanding of the universe), the theory has been on thin ice ever since the LHC turned on. But despite those initial doubtful results, theorists had hoped that some model of tuning of the theory would produce a positive result inside the collider experiment.
While not every possible model of supersymmetry has been ruled out, the future of the theory is in serious doubt. And since physicists have invested so much time and energy into supersymmetry for years, there aren’t a lot of compelling alternatives.
Where will physics go from here, in a universe without supersymmetry? Only time (and a lot of math) will tell.
Paul Sutter, “Where are all the squarks and gluinos?” at LiveScience
The winner will be serious science.
Yes, as Rob Sheldon often points out here, there are holes in our understanding but the solutions are probably consistent with a normal interpretation of our universe, even if it revises some of our earlier notions.
See also: The multiverse is science’s assisted suicide