Faulty Cable To Blame For Superluminal Neutrino Results

smolloy writes "It would appear that the hotly debated faster-than-light neutrino observation at CERN is the result of a fault in the connection between a GPS unit and a computer. This connection was used to correct for time delays in the neutrino flight, and after fixing the correction the researchers have found that the time discrepancy appears to have vanished."

Comments

Glad they found the error

[Fluffeh]

I am glad they went through the proper process of verifying all the hardware and have gotten to the bottom of this little fiasco - but wow, they have to be biting their lips in frustration.

I also expect a cable manufacturer is likely to be getting a strongly worded email in the near future.

Headline is wrong

[Omnifarious]

It should read "Faulty Cable Most Likely To Blame For Superluminal Neutrino Results". They haven't proved anything yet. They just found a problem that's very suggestive and they need to re-run the experiment after fixing/accounting for the problem.

Re:Headline is wrong

[ackthpt]

It should read "Faulty Cable Most Likely To Blame For Superluminal Neutrino Results". They haven't proved anything yet. They just found a problem that's very suggestive and they need to re-run the experiment after fixing/accounting for the problem.

Part of the Scientific Method* is the ability to repeat your results. When they state "the time discrepancy appears to have vanished" it would seem they are unable to reproduce the prior results.

*This Post Not Approved By Rick Santorum For President or Heartland Institute

Re:Irresponsible use of the press

[Chuck Chunder]

These scientists were irresponsible in their dealings with their press.

Bollocks, I am pretty sure it was always explained as an unexpected result, not a new discovery.

They should have kept it strictly within the community

How would they do that?

rather than embarrass themselves, and physics, in this manner.

It is far better for the public to see scientists acting openly, showing their data and asking for help. Science is a process, not a result. Trying to get the public to trust science by hiding things from them is precisely the wrong way to go about it. It is akin to suggesting they should trust the scientist because the scientist is always right rather than because the process of science works.