It's light Jim, but not as we know it...

[moorfield]

I'm with Prof Jim Al Khalil on this one.

If it's true I'll eat my boxer shorts live on national TV. Also, if it is true, we would have already read about it in next Wednesday's papers.

Moorfield, BSc ARCS Theoretical Physics, Imperial College. So there.

[adubya]

I though they've had the brightest minds working on this over the last three year trying to find the "glitch" with the results. And they can't find it. Perhaps the spoonfed physicists need to wake up

[TimberWolf]

I'm with Prof Jim Al Khalil on this one.

If it's true I'll eat my boxer shorts live on national TV. Also, if it is true, we would have already read about it in next Wednesday's papers.

Moorfield, BSc ARCS Theoretical Physics, Imperial College. So there.

BBC News - Newsnight - Physicist vows to 'eat shorts' over light speed claims

Hang on a second, there's something dodgy about those shorts, how did he whip them off without giving himself a wedgie?

We'll put him down as a sceptic, as I expect most are, but it's exciting having the very foundations of physics rocked anyway.

[TimberWolf]

I'm with Prof Jim Al Khalil on this one.

If it's true I'll eat my boxer shorts live on national TV. Also, if it is true, we would have already read about it in next Wednesday's papers.

Moorfield, BSc ARCS Theoretical Physics, Imperial College. So there.

Don't worry, I have already investigated edible underwear just in case.
23 Sep

I suppose I'd like it to be true, even if it means rewriting my whole university relativity course.. and eating my shorts.

Excitement of overturning whole of modern physics would be so exciting that well worth humiliation of eating boxers (if allowed ketchup)
23 Sep

Twitter

[TimberWolf]

To get to the other side. Why did the neutrinos cross the road? Twitter

lol

[PAH]

Watched an interesting YouTube vid over the weekend that may help clear up some of the confusion about stuff going faster than light speed:

'A Universe From Nothing' by Lawrence Krauss, AAI 2009 - YouTube


The gist of it is that most of the weight of the universe is 'hidden' in dark energy and dark matter, and it's this that is causing galaxies to move apart at an increasing rate. Some galaxies may already be moving faster than light or will in the future.

So maybe all this hidden energy causes neutrinos to travel at such speed much the same way that it is pushing whole galaxies at an ever increasing speed?

The bits I found more interesting (from the video) are:

1. it's possible for the universe to be created from nothing (watch vid for proper explanation)

2. the structure of the universe guarantees conditions will exist at some part of the universe's lifespan for life as we know it to exist. Therefore we are not alone in the universe, or even remarkable or unique.


So now I'm wondering if a new religion will form from science, where promises of rebirth will be based on the universe being able to recreate the exact state that gives each of us individual consciousness, and therefore life after death, either later in this universe's lifespan or in the next universe that forms after this one ends.

[Doggy Styles]

"The gist of it is that most of the weight of the universe is 'hidden' in dark energy and dark matter, and it's this that is causing galaxies to move apart at an increasing rate. Some galaxies may already be moving faster than light or will in the future."

Unfortunately....

Dwarf galaxies suggest dark matter theory may be wrong

[gingerjedi]

"The gist of it is that most of the weight of the universe is 'hidden' in dark energy and dark matter, and it's this that is causing galaxies to move apart at an increasing rate. Some galaxies may already be moving faster than light or will in the future."

Unfortunately....

Dwarf galaxies suggest dark matter theory may be wrong

If you were a geek who enjoyed pissing around with experiments all day rather than doing a proper job you'd make loads of baffling stuff up to keep your research grants coming in wouldn't you.

[PAH]

Indeed. As much of the theory stuff is unconfirmable using current maths and technology, the theories themselves are pretty useless except as a marker for future investigation.

Yet all the grants they get mean they may as well try to solve the mysteries now.

Maybe the required evidence is no longer available in the universe, or at least obtainable to humans or their machines, so they'll just have to make stuff up to fit in the blanks.

For all their deriding of religion they too require a certain faith from their followers.

[Doggy Styles]

For all their (scientists) deriding of religion they too require a certain faith from their followers.

This!