Passage Summary: Mu mesons in a lab die off quickly, but the ones flying through space at nearly the speed of light seem to last much longer; otherwise, we wouldn't see so many of them hitting Earth.

Reasoning: Mu mesons in a lab decay quickly, but those traveling at near-light speed from space reach Earth in numbers that would be impossible if they decayed at the same rate.

Analysis: The premises set up a mathematical discrepancy. If the decay rate were constant regardless of speed, the numbers wouldn't add up. Therefore, the conclusion must bridge this gap by suggesting that high speed actually slows down the decay process. This is a classic physics-based inference question where you must synthesize the data points to reach the only logical outcome. Look for an answer that explains the survival of the cosmic mesons through their velocity.