CERN Observes Particle Traveling Faster than the Speed of Light, Looking for Independent Verification

According to a report by the Associated Press, researchers at CERN have observed a subatomic particle moving faster than the speed of light. That’s right, faster than the speed of light. Like any sane people, these researchers are currently looking for outside sources to verify their results, and with results as mind-boggling as these, who could blame them.

It appears that the actual observation happened several months ago when a neutrino was shot 454 miles from the area around Geneva to Italy and clocked in at 60 nanoseconds over the speed of light. That’s not much over, but the margin of error was only 10 nanoseconds, which means this is a statistically significant discovery. After pouring over the results for months, CERN has now turned to the U.S. and Japan to double check their work. Although 50 to 70 nanoseconds over the course of 454 miles might not sound like much, it could actually change the understanding of physics as we know it, or at least as we’ve known in the past century.

According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, which has held up well so far, nothing should ever be able to move faster than the speed of light. Not even 50 to 70 nanoseconds faster, and this one instance is enough to completely change the way we think the world might work.

It’s easy to jump off the rails thinking about the possibilities of faster-than-light travel, but everyone is keeping in mind that this might be an error of some sort. Even if it turns out to be completely true, not much happens, other than the theory of relativity as we know it crumbling down around us. It was only one neutrino and only 50 to 70 nanseconds faster, but still, it may turn out that the speed of light is an arbitrary limit, which opens up an incredible world of opportunities. After all, particles that move faster than light should be able to go forwards or backwards in time.

(via Associated Press)

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