It sounds nuts, but a scientist says his team has made light go backward. And this is not a simple trick of mirrors.

Previous work has slowed light to a crawl. But in the new research, a pulse of light is given a negative speed and–as if just to make your head spin–the researcher says the experiment made light appear to exceed its theoretical speed limit.

If you’re totally confused, don’t worry. This reporter doesn’t get it either. Nor do a lot of really smart scientists.

more on the story + video at LiveScience.com (Written by: Robert Roy Britt (LiveScience Managing Editor))