ssgt splatter said:
Ok, so...what exactly does this mean in scientific terms?
So far, not much. But if this isn't just some random fluke, it creates some uncertainty about special and general relativity.
Strictly speaking, the math behind special relativity only shows you can't travel AT the speed of light, but it's generally assumed that this also means going faster than the speed of light is impossible.
If it turns out that there is something that travels faster than light, a lot of science will have to be revised, and it'll either mean altering the upper speed limit in the universe, or throwing out the idea altogether.
The implications of proving it's possible to exceed the speed of light open up lots of possibilities, although that somewhat depends on what the limitations of this are.
Basically, this finding calls into question one of the most fundamental assumptions of modern science.
Anyway,
My first inclination upon hearing this though was to ask if it was referring to the speed of light in a vacuum, or whether it was the speed of light in some other medium.
Exceeding the speed of light in glass or water for instance, isn't actually a big deal, because that limit isn't in any way considered an absolute limit, and it's typically only 2/3 the speed of light in a vacuum, which high-energy particles can certainly exceed.
(In fact, cerenkov radiation, a characteristic blue glow you get with radioactive material contained in water is caused by particles exceeding the local speed of light. But this still has nothing to do with the physics that says you can't exceed the speed of light
in a vacuum.)
