Team Builds 'Anti-Laser'

Yale University scientists have created the world's first anti-laser, a device capable of completely absorbing any laser beam. The device functions in the opposite way that a laser does: It traps light beams and forces them to bounce around until their energy is dissipated, the BBC reports. Its creators believe it could be used for optical switches in next-generation computers—but not as a defense against laser weapons. "The energy gets dissipated as heat. So if someone sets a laser on you with enough power to fry you, the anti-laser won't stop you from frying," the lead researcher explains. (More laser stories.)