In the latest edition of Modern Physics, a paper by Prof. M Gardner (Oxon) highlighting the many problems with the standard model of cosmology has seen a fundamental re-examination of Einsteins' theories with some surprising results!
Imagine a 1 metre long stick traveling through space, on a straight line co-linear with the stick.
A plate with a one metre diameter hole is also moving though space, perpendicular to the stick (see attached diagram)
We idealise the experiment by assuming both the plate and stick have zero thickness. Both the plate and the stick are on a precise collision course, so at the same instant the centre of the stick will be at the same location as the centre of the hole i.e. they will coincide.
Assume the stick is traveling so fast, that, as special relativity predicts, it is Lorentz contracted by a factor of 10, so that in this inertial frame its length is just 10 centimetres. As a result it will easily pass through the rising plate (the speed of which is immaterial).
Now consider the situation from the metre long stick's inertial reference frame.
The plate is moving in from the opposite horizontal direction, so its hole is Lorentz contracted by a factor of 10. There is no way the 10 centimetre hole can move up past the metre stick without collision.
The two situations are not equivalent, and thus the fundamental assumption of special relativity is violated.
It is ironic that Einstein being so fond of "gendankenexperiments" did not see the logical flaw in his theory. This collapse in Special relativity will soon appear in Reviews of Modern Physics, the full impact of this has yet to reach the popular press.