What would you do with the power of invisibility? Most of the answers I’ve heard to that question are less than heroic — sneaking into places you’re not supposed to be or “borrowing” things without asking. Of course, you could go sight unseen for good, it is one of the classic superpowers. But if you think about invisibility and its consequences scientifically, this is an ability I don’t think you’d even want. It would be an unbelievable hassle.
In my latest episode of Because Science — like we’ve done with super strength and super speed —Â I’m taking invisibility more seriously than anyone needs to. Anything truly invisible has to interact with visible light, and the way that radiation bounces off of objects. If that light could be bent around a hero, it wouldn’t bounce off of her and then to some enemy’s eyes. It’s classic invisibility, but it would come with a number of serious consequences.
Just imagine how hard it would be to do something as simple as walk down the stairs when you couldn’t see your feet…
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