ConCERNed about Neutrinos?

Could the most famous equation in physics, E=mc^2 be at risk?

Einstein said that matter (m) and energy (E) are two forms of the same thing. The speed of light (c) is an enormous number, so Einstein's equation shows that a very tiny amount of matter is the same as a huge amount of energy.

The equation is in fact a major condensation of his Theory of Special Relativity, which basically states that nothing can travel faster than light. Most physicists still believe this must be correct, but those scientists working at CERN on the border of France and Switzerland in conjunction with the OPERA experiment at Grand Sasso in Italy have suggested it may be wrong.

They have been firing neutrinos (sub-atomic particles) from CERN, 450 miles through the Earth towards Italy, and have again found that the neutrinos arrive faster than light would have. This is the second time they have tried the experiment, this time with much smaller particle packets.

There may still be something wrong with the experiment, but until a problem is uncovered, we have to contemplate the possibility that E-mc^2 is now wrong. This could for example now mean that time travel is possible! One theory is that the neutrinos travelled via parallel universes to get to Italy before light would have?

Although the above is a little complicated to take in, if it turns out to be true, it will certainly knock the Euro off the headlines for a week or two.

Today's blip is the sun glinting on the sea beneath the pier.