Flaw found in particles experiment

A problem may have affected the measurements which appeared to contradict Albert Einstein's theories

Published: 9:19pm, 22nd February 2012
Updated: 11:54am, 27th February 2012

European researchers have found a flaw in the technical set-up of an experiment that measured seemingly impossible faster-than-light particles.

A spokesman for the European Organisation for Nuclear Research says the problem may have affected the measurements that startled the science world last September because they appeared to contradict Albert Einstein's theories.

CERN spokesman James Gillies said that earlier this month scientists found a problem in the GPS system used to time the arrival of neutrino particles at an underground lab in Italy.

Mr Gillies said only further measurements planned for later this year will confirm whether the problem introduced an error that made the neutrinos appear to move faster than light.