From the folks that brought you proof of the feasibility of invisibility cloaks comes experimental results that point toward the existence and future of levitation. The team of scientists at University of St. Andrews have focused their efforts on the Casimir force, a complex theory that describes energy fields in the large and small spaces between objects. These fields are separate from forces like electricity and gravity, and result in objects sticking together, including atoms. The researchers have reversed this force, causing objects to repel one another rather than attract, and cause levitation-type effects. Theoretically, reversing this force could create levitation and repulsion among infinitesimal-size objects, but also human-sized items.

The scientists warn against, well, people like us, leaping ahead and anticipating our first go on "Levitation Rides" or plotting cool new tricks to impress our friends. The immediate application of this activity will be for nanotechnologists, researchers who work with micromachines plagued by tiny objects sticking to one another. Machines could be developed that run smoother and with less friction. Down the road, the effects could be magnified and studied with humans.

For paranormal enthusiasts and students, this new breakthrough also points to potential explanations for levitation phenomena.