Neutrinos from the jet stream of a black hole have been detected in the South Pole. Credit:IceCube/NASA

Neutrinos are the universe’s ghosts. Trillions of these particles move through us all the time at close to the speed of light. We cannot see, feel or sense them.

For the first time, scientists have captured a neutrino and traced its origin - a supermassive black hole 4 billion light-years away.

The discovery could reveal more about some of the universe's great mysteries - black holes and dark matter.

“We are truly in the era of astro-particle physics," says Swinburne University astronomer Associate Professor Alan Duffy. "This may lead to us finally learning how black holes grow and feed, as well as shed a light on dark matter."