Our quest to secure a pair of X-ray-vision glasses appeared to take a great leap forward recently when researchers at the City of Paris Industrial Physics and Chemistry Higher Educational Institution (ESPCI) recently found a way to see through opaque materials.

The findings, reported in Physical Review Letters, explain, "It's possible to focus light through opaque materials and detect objects hidden behind them, provided you know enough about the material."

We hoped that these findings promised a future where we could order X-ray glasses on eBay and do our best Superman impressions, but the wind was quickly removed from our sails by some smart people we talked to.

"Scientists have been using various methods to see through objects for some time," says information technology guru and photographer Mike Warot. "It's not X-ray vision, it's just the ability to focus through translucent things. Truly opaque objects are likely to stay that way for a very long time."

Disappointment set in.

"As far as X-ray vision, that's very 1950s," says Warot. "We do have X-rays, and that's done at the airport."

So there it is folks, if you want to be like Superman, continue to use your imagination, or get a job with the TSA.