On October 9, 2022, gamma-ray burst GRB 221009A sent high-energy radiation toward Earth, with the Carpet detector recording an unexplained 300 TeV photon-like event that should have been absorbed during transit. Scientists Galanti and Roncadelli propose that axion-like particles and violations of Lorentz invariance could allow such extreme-energy photons to survive the journey through intergalactic space.