[Jesse]

Ok, for you physicists out there, I have a question. In the expansionist model of the universe, the size of the universe expanded far faster than the speed of light. Could it be that the rate of expansion of space has something to do with the observed effect? If this light is 12 billion years old, maybe the rate of expansion of the universe, being closer to the date of creation, was faster then and somehow interfered with the photons.

[eno_]

I believe that is one inference you could draw from this experiment - at least that light used to be faster, and so the "speed limit" was higher back in the "old days."