Invisibility goes mainstream today, with the revelation that David Schurig and David R. Smith of Duke University have created a cloak that renders objects invisible to the eye. AP Science writer Randolphe Schmid reports:

Viewers can see things because objects scatter the light that strikes them, reflecting some of it back to the eye.

“The cloak reduces both an object’s reflection and its shadow, either of which would enable its detection,” Smith said.

The cloak is made of metamaterials, which are mixtures of metal and circuit board materials such as ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite.