'Microlattice': The world's lightest material?

An ultra-lightweight material that can rest atop a feathery dandelion has scientists walking on air

The world's lightest material uses interlocking hollow tubes made from nickel that is each 1,000 times thinner than a human hair.
(Image credit: Dan Little © HRL Laboratories, LLC.)

A team of researchers from UC Irvine, HRL Laboratories, and the California Institute of Technology claim to have created the "world's lightest" material. The findings, published in the Nov. 18 issue of the journal Science, say that the material is 100 times lighter than styrofoam, and capable of sitting atop a feathery dandelion without dispersing its seeds. Here's how it works:

First off, what is it?

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