Are Invisibility Cloaks Possible?

Have you ever wished you could hide under an invisibility cloak like Harry Potter or conceal your car with a Klingon cloaking device like in Star Trek? In a special bonus episode of Reactions, we celebrate the International Year of Light by exploring the science behind light, sight and invisibility.

Jul 27, 2015

Have you ever wished you could hide under an invisibility cloak like Harry Potter or conceal your car with a Klingon cloaking device like in Star Trek? In a special bonus episode of Reactions, we celebrate the International Year of Light by exploring the science behind light, sight and invisibility. Though we can’t make ourselves invisible yet, some promising research may light the way — or rather, bend the light away.

Chevron I Stock 2190620435 Credit Jhve Photo

Chevron Signs Landmark Syrian Offshore Oil Deal

February 4, 2026

This undated photo shows 3M in St. Paul, Minn.

3M Agrees to 'Forever Chemical' Settlement Worth Up to $450M

May 14, 2025

Jury Awards $332 Million to Man in Monsanto Case

November 3, 2023

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks at the University of Maryland, May 11, 2023, in College Park, Md. The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that must be blended into the nation’s fuel supplies over the next three years, but held production totals steady for corn-based ethanol, disappointing the biofuel industry and farm advocates. Regan said the final rule would reduce U.S. reliance on oil and support continued growth of biofuels that help combat global warming.

EPA Boosts Biofuel Requirements

June 22, 2023

Chevron I Stock 2190620435 Credit Jhve Photo

Chevron Signs Landmark Syrian Offshore Oil Deal

Syria’s oil and gas sectors were adversely impacted by the country’s nearly 15-year conflict.

February 4, 2026

This undated photo shows 3M in St. Paul, Minn.

3M Agrees to 'Forever Chemical' Settlement Worth Up to $450M

3M is expected to pay $285 million this year with additional payment for the next 25 years.

May 14, 2025

Roundup Ap

Jury Awards $332 Million to Man in Monsanto Case

He contended that his cancer was related to decades of using its Roundup weedkiller.

November 3, 2023

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan speaks at the University of Maryland, May 11, 2023, in College Park, Md. The Biden administration on Wednesday increased the amount of biofuels that must be blended into the nation’s fuel supplies over the next three years, but held production totals steady for corn-based ethanol, disappointing the biofuel industry and farm advocates. Regan said the final rule would reduce U.S. reliance on oil and support continued growth of biofuels that help combat global warming.

EPA Boosts Biofuel Requirements

But it holds steady for corn-based ethanol production.

June 22, 2023

Containers of Roundup sit on a store shelf on Feb. 24, 2019, in San Francisco. Two companies that sell top brands of household weedkiller will pay nearly $7 million for allegedly making false and misleading claims regarding the safety of their products as part of a settlement with the New York Attorney General's office on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

Bayer Owes $6.9M Over Weed Killer Advertising

At issue was the statement that "Roundup won't harm anything but weeds."

June 16, 2023

Drone photo of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 4, 2023.

50-Car Train Derailment Causes Big Fire, Evacuations

Ohio's governor activated the National Guard.

February 6, 2023

Raman spectroscopy can be used to predict the different chemical compounds that make up the sample.

Simplifying Oil and Gas Predictive Modeling

Chemometrics and Raman spectroscopy streamlines turnaround, throughput and real time test results.

January 30, 2023

Battery

Manufacturing Process Produces Cheaper Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Instead of continuously stirring cathode materials with chemicals in a reactor, their hydrothermal synthesis approach crystalizes the cathode.

December 6, 2022

Basf

BASF Bringing Specialty Chemical Production to U.S.

The expansion will retain more than 1,000 existing jobs at a Louisiana facility.

August 5, 2022

The implementation of the methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) capacity increase program for production facilities at BASF’s Verbund site in Geismar, Louisiana, is progressing on schedule.

BASF Invests $780M in U.S. Chemical Plant Expansion

The factory will make a vital component in polyurethanes.

July 19, 2022

For the chemical industry, measuring and controlling moisture content is critical to ensure product quality and efficient production.

3 Ways Chemical Processors Can Benefit from NIR Technology

NIR moisture measurement facilitates more efficient labor, higher quality and better pricing.

June 28, 2022

Conviction Justice I Stock 1346156711 626bf41b8374e

Man Admits Selling Unregistered Chemicals to Fight COVID-19

Customers included the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

June 10, 2022

Cloud seeding equipment near Winter Park in Colorado.

Cloud Seeding Might Not Be as Promising as Many Hoped

Right now, machines are set up to fire chemicals into the clouds in attempts to generate snow.

March 16, 2022

Endangered Mississippi sandhill cranes at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, Gautier, Miss., Nov. 27, 2012.

Wildlife Officials Reverse Course on Pesticide

Chemical manufacturers vowed to change product labels so the highly toxic pesticide is used more carefully.

March 9, 2022

Hydrite

Hydrite Receives State of Iowa Incentives for Waterloo Expansion

The project represents a $21 million capital investment over the next three years.

March 3, 2022