While it's awesome that the experiment has been corrected and is now working properly, it is a little disappointing to me that the answer isn't so strange.<p>I would have loved it if it turned out to be something real just because it would have made some form of communication between planets without a delay possible.
A very good post on this by Matt Strassler from earlier this year:<p><a href="http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-physics-basics/neutrinos/neutrinos-faster-than-light/opera-what-went-wrong/" rel="nofollow">http://profmattstrassler.com/articles-and-posts/particle-phy...</a><p>There were apparently two problems:<p>1. An improperly calibrated clock
2. A fiber optic cable was not fully plugged in. This led to a little bit of light leaking out from the cable, which lead to a (very small) delay in recognition of the arrival of a pulse on the fiber.<p>Yes, modern physics experiments are pretty complicated and lots of things can go wrong!
end of the article
"After months of investigation, physicists have ruled that the speedy neutrinos observed were likely due to a faulty connection in an optical fiber of the Master Clock."
i really do wonder why negative attitude to my "were likely goes both ways" - they have ruled (not proved) that something is likely. please. either the article is stupid or those who have ruled.