Has Einstein's Relativity Theory Been Proven Wrong?

Experiments tested at two of the largest physics laboratories in the world have recorded sub-atomic particles (called neutrinos) travelling faster than the speed of light, a result that is impossible to achieve with Einstein's Theory of Relativity- which states that nothing can surpass the speed of light (E=mc2).

These experiments, known as OPERA, involved firing a laser-like beam containing billions and billions of neutrinos from the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Switzerland (known as CERN) to the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, 730 km away.

OPERA was a joint effort between France's National Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics Research and Italy's Gran Sasso National Laboratory.

The neutrinos were reported to have travelled 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light, which is about 299, 792 km (186, 282 miles) per second.

"This result comes as a complete surprise," stated physicist Antonio Eriditato, spokesman for the OPERA experiment. "You could say it's peanuts, but it's not. It's something we can measure rather accurately with a small uncertainity."

Scientists have responded to these results in various ways, some greatly surprised and amazed, others skeptical- believing the reading was caused by an undetected mistake.

Researchers are so astounded by the findings that they have asked others to reverify the results before concluding it as a discovery.

"If this measurement is confirmed," said CERN reasearch director Sergio Bertolucci, "it might change our view of physics."