The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, announced on September 22 that subatomic particles called neutrinos were observed to travel faster than the speed of light. When researchers sent a beam of these particles underground from their headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to Gran Sasso in Italy, a distance of 450 miles, the neutrinos took 60 nanoseconds less than a beam of light would have to travel the same distance.

“A neutrino is a particle without a positive or negative charge,” retired nuclear chemist Rupert Lee said. “It is almost weightless [making it difficult to detect].”

CERN researchers used atomic clocks and GPS systems to make their observations and measured the margin of error at 10 nanoseconds, upending physics as we know it if correct. However, further scientific experimentation may be needed for the discovery to carry its own weight.

“Whenever a generally agreed upon concept in science is challenged, it requires extensive study and reflection on the implications to scientific theory the new discovery may make on the commonly held belief,” David Palladino, Advanced Placement Chemistry teacher, said. “In the last two hundred years, for instance, the concept of the atom has changed from a relatively simplistic model of a solid sphere to a rather complicated quantum…creating a totally new way of looking at energy and matter.”

In 1905, Albert Einstein’s theory of special relativity established that nothing in the universe could move faster than the speed of light. For decades it has been known as “nature’s cosmic speed limit”, and most are cynical to accept the idea that a particle about which developments were so recently made can truly surpass the speed of light. Only in the last 15 years have scientists found that neutrinos can change from one type to another and have mass.

“[The discovery] would be very cool if it’s correct, but it has to be substantiated by other scientific groups,” Dr. Susie Kamons, honors Chemistry teacher, said. “As we know, theories are not based on one study.”

The impact of this discovery on physics is largely unknown.

“In the same way that Einstein broke barriers with his ideas, this experiment may expand those ideas to a new level, refining even some of his ideas to make sense of this possible new phenomenon,” Palladino said. “So we may be on the cusp of something brand new or perhaps be on a long and tedious path, similar to the idea of cold fusion, which looked like it might solve our energy needs but alas could not be repeated, and hence remains a dream for scientists.”