"It's got these strange properties but it never really found an application," Trinity College physicist, Jonathan Coleman, told NPR. "So we thought, if we could make it do something, that would be cool." That something involved coating Silly Putty with graphene -- a form of carbon that measures just one atom in thickness. By combining graphene's electrical conductivity with the putty's odd fluidity, the team created a material that both conducts a charge and is exceptionally sensitive to pressure. Any amount of force applied to it will modulate the material's electrical resistance.

It's so sensitive, in fact, that if you stick a bit of it to your throat, it can monitor not just the pulse of your carotid artery but your blood pressure as well. It's even reportedly capable of detecting a spider's footsteps. The material does have to be handled carefully, though, because as any parent can tell you, the second that stuff gets into the carpet, you're going to need a new carpet.