ABC News: Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas have succeeded in creating a working cloaking device; they published the details this week in the journal Nanotechnology. For their device Ali Aliev and colleagues made a porous sponge out of sheets of carbon nanotubes, which are known for their exceptional ability to conduct heat and transfer it to surrounding areas. When a steep temperature gradient is imposed on the sponge, the refractive index of the surrounding air also acquires a steep gradient. Light rays are bent away from an object, just as in a desert mirage, and make the object seem invisible. The researchers have posted a video of their device in action in the lab.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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