In the past few years, scientists have found ways to make light go both faster and slower than its usual speed limit, but now researchers at the University of Rochester have published a paper today in Science on how they've gone one step further: pushing light into reverse. As if to defy common sense, the backward-moving pulse of light travels faster than light.

Confused? You're not alone.

"Slowing down light used to be considered a neat trick for physics wonks. But researchers in New York now say they've pushed light into reverse. And as if to defy common sense, the backward-moving light travels faster than light." While there's not much use to come of it yet, it will be interesting if Einstein himself is proved wrong.

So Vader was right. You don't KNOW the POWER of the dark side!

I wonder, could this be used to make an unlightbulb? I've always wanted one of those. Too bright in the room? Don't walk over to pull the curtains, just switch on the unlight and voila, light just gets sucked into it and darkness speads into every corner of the room. Even better you get paid by the grid for the electricity you generate. Goodbye suncream, I've got my unlight with me, no need for trees to make shadows just hang it up and relax back in the shade. Imagine the tricks you could play on people with a 3000W unspotlight! Mwaahahaha. Who said science was boring?

On the Einstein thing
"Einstein said information can't travel faster than light, and in this case, as with all fast-light experiments, no information is truly moving faster than light," says Boyd.