Although that difference could have been a statistical fluke, it was still bad news for oxygen.

According to the Harvard group there was a one in 2m chance of the result being a statistical fluke.

However, it might have been weighed down by a statistical fluke that has led to sharp upward revisions to August payroll figures.

This gives us more confidence that what we are seeing is really evidence of new physics rather than just a statistical fluke, Tovey added.

Still, this is hardly cause for panic; no one has ever offered a satisfactory explanation for what's likely to be a mere statistical fluke.

Most reputable scientists scoffed at the whole idea, attributing their "track record" to statistical flukes.