On July 13, 2014 (June 17, 2014 in the lunar calendar), scientists discovered that the "darkest" materials were too black to be seen. Scientists invent the "blackest" material On July 13, 2014, a British company produced a "strange and distinctive" substance, so black that it can absorb almost all visible light, creating a new world record. Staring at this "ultra-black" coating is made up of carbon nanotubes, each of which is only one-tenth of the thickness of a human hair, is an odd experience. It is so dark that human eyes cannot understand what they see. The shape and outline were missing, leaving only what looked like an abyss. If it was used to make a Chanel little black dress, the wearer's head and limbs might appear to float like a soul around the skirt shaped black hole. Its practical use is more serious, allowing astronomical cameras, telescopes and infrared scanning systems to operate more efficiently. There will also be military uses, but the substance's producer, Surrey Nanotechnology Systems, was not allowed to discuss such uses. The nanotube material, called Vantablack, was once grown on aluminum foil by the New Haven company. Although these aluminum foil sheets can be folded into miniature mountains and valleys, these landforms disappear in areas covered with this material. Ben Jensen, the company's technical director, said: "You thought you would see mountains and rivers, but all you saw was black, like a hole, as if there was nothing there. It looks particularly strange." When asked about the prospects of making little black dresses, he said it would be "very expensive" and the cost of the substance was one of the circumstances he could not disclose. He said: "All the features of the dress will be lost. It's like penetrating black." The U.S. magazine Optical Express described Vantablack, which will be launched at the Farnborough International Air Show this week. It will be launched as a batch of nanotubes packed together, like some incredibly thin straws. These nanotubes are so small that light particles cannot pass through them, but they can pass through the gaps between them. However, once inside, almost all light bounces in it until it is absorbed. Practical uses of Vantablack include calibrating cameras that can be used to capture the oldest matter in the universe. To take this kind of photo, aim the camera at the blackest material possible.