That Hoverboard Video Was Totally Fake, But Quantum Levitation Isn't

So, you're telling me that a fictional scientist and a skateboarder didn't create a Nobel Prize-worthy piece of levitation technology that would literally change the world? I guess it's Back to the Drawing Board... After a rather elaborate series of videos, denials, and eventual reveals, it turns out that Tony Hawk and Doc Brown will not be bringing you your very own hoverboard by the end of the year. As easy as this silly hoax was to uncover, you can never tell how much scientific damage is done by stunts like this (the fake video has 8.5 million views at the time of this writing). After all, thanks to Animal Planet, many people believe mermaids are frolicking topless on some distant shoreline. Thankfully, the hoverboard hoax is a teachable moment--we know how to hover boards (kinda). It sounds like magic, but it actually is an astonishing phenomena exquisitely captured by ...