Science News

Today in crazy tricks of physics, a few researchers over at the University of Southampton in the U.K. have theorized that metamaterials ought to be able to generate a wholly new kind of force--something akin to the adhesive force created by gecko toes--that can be turned on and off optically with the throwing of a switch. That force ought to be strong enough to overcome the force of Earth’s gravity, opening the door to a range of potential applications--if and when the actual force is found.

Physicists stalk a delicate “fifth force” of nature, hidden within the interstices of the other four. What they have not found is even more amazing. Visit Discover Magazine to read this article and other exclusive science and technology news stories.