Invisible Photology (INVISIBILITY CLOAKS) with Dr. Greg Gbur

Invisibility cloaks. Transparent frogs. Stealth bombers. Gorilla mischief. Theoretical optical physicist and Invisible Photologist Dr. Greg Gbur joins Alie to chat about light, illusions, secret technology, science fiction inspiration, terrible camouflage, great movies, historical mishaps, and even a few great household life hacks – and why you should go read a book on your porch. Perhaps his book, Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not To Be Seen. 

Listen via Stitcher, Apple, Spotify, Google, Podbay, Podcast Addict, Overcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit Dr. Gregory Gbur’s blogs, Skulls in the Stars and Science Chamber of Horrors, and follow him on Twitter, Mastodon, Instagram and TikTok

Buy Dr. Gbur’s book, Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not To Be Seen, on Bookshop.org or Amazon

His 2019 book, Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics, is also available on Bookshop.org and Amazon

A donation went to Doctors Without Borders


Links to things we discussed:

Free Space Optical Communication

$5B camo failure

MARPAT

Extremely Low Frequency Plasmons in Metallic Mesostructures

Anapole moment of Majorana fermions and implications for direct detection of neutralino dark matter

New, simple theory may explain mysterious dark matter

Dr. Flip Tanedo Fermions Twitter thread

CNET covers Quantum Stealth

Metamaterials: Going beyond nature

Some older films about invisibility

The Invisible Man’s Revenge - 1944 film

Milan’s hyperface Halloween costume

Greg’s blog post, Musings on the “TikTok Mirror Mystery”

Joker Visits Two-Face In The Hospital Scene - THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) Movie Clip

Face Recognition During Coronavirus: Do Masks Block Facial Recognition?

Frank Thone’s 1944 article, “Cloaks of Invisibility’

What’s the difference between “transparency” and “invisibility”?

Transparent lace vs. HD lace

Scotch Tapes: Magic vs. Transparent? 

What is… light? 

Emil Wolf, pioneer of optical physics, dies at 95

DR. FRANK THONE, A SCIENCE WRITER; Biology Editor of News Agency Dies at 58--Covered Tests of Atomic Bomb at Bikini

Extremely Low Frequency Plasmons in Metallic Mesostructures

Young's Double Slit Experiment - A Level Physics

Algis Budrys’s 1962 story “For Love”

Thomas Young’s double slit experiment

Glassfrogs conceal blood in their liver to maintain transparency

Anapole Dark Matter

Gorillas in our midst: sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events

GUYpat

A Tourist Fell Into This Ultra-Black Artwork That Looks Like a Cartoon Hole


Other episodes you may enjoy:

Molecular Neurobiology (BRAIN CHEMICALS)

Ophthalmology (EYES)

Malacology (SNAILS & SLUGS)

Teuthology (SQUIDS)

Cosmetology (GLAM/GROOMING)

Quantum Ontology (WHAT IS REAL?)

Cosmology (THE UNIVERSE) Parts 1 & 2

Plumology (FEATHERS)

Medusology (JELLYFISH)


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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions, Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media and Mark David Christenson

Transcripts by Emily White of The Wordary

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

MechanicsAlie Ward