a discovery in the last week has turned physics on its head.
a team of scientists have said that they recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos travelling faster than light. no-one thought that was possible.
it is a finding that could overturn one of einstein's long-accepted fundamental laws of the universe.
the finding was made by researchers at cern in switzerland and gran sasso in italy.
the speed of light is a cornerstone in einstein's theory of special relativity, which is what gives us the concept of causality: causes precede effects.
among the implications of this challenge to mainstream theory is the fact that it could mean time travel is possible, a hypothesis that has long convinced writers of science fiction.
but the experiment has its sceptics. a physicist from the university of surrey, jim al-khalili, believes that the current consensus is correct and that the light-speed barrier is impossible to surpass.
he has tried to pick holes in the methodology of the cern researchers. so sure is al-khalili that they have made an error in their measurements that he has decided to defend the laws of physics by challenging the laws of social convention.
al-khalili said: "if the cern experiment proves to be correct... i will eat my boxer shorts on live tv."