<p><b>A recent announcement could bring world-changing results—but questions dog the research team that made it.</b></p>

<h4>In the news</h4> <p>At the March annual meeting of the American Physical Society, a team of physicists from the University of Rochester made a breathtaking announcement of a “<a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/room-temperature-superconductor-discovery-meets-with-resistance-20230308/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">century-old dream</a>:” A superconductor that works at room temperature (<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05742-0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">near-ambient superconductivity in an N-doped lutetium hydride</a>, to be precise).</p> <p>Ranga Dias, the professor of mechanical engineering and physics who led the research, didn’t hold back: he told interviewers that if the research pans out, the discovery could rank right up there with that of electricity and the wheel.</p> <p>Whoa.</p> <p>We’ll explain why room-temperature superconductors could be so revolutionary in a moment—but first, the backlash.</p> <p>While many in the physics community were gobsmacked by the announcement, others said the science world needs to pump the brakes. Reactions “<a href="https://www.quantamagazine.org/room-temperature-superconductor-discovery-meets-with-resistance-20230308/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ranged from unbridled excitement to outright dismissal</a>.” It turns out this research group is no stranger to controversy, up to and including accusations of research malfeasance (which are strongly denied by Dias).</p> <p>Worse, the misconduct accusations center on a <a href="https://physics.aps.org/articles/v16/40" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><i>prior</i> claim</a> of room-temperature superconductivity by Dias’ team. So, it appears the wise course is to take a wait-and-see attitude while the physics community continues to try to reproduce and advance the University of Rochester results.</p> <h4>The Cognizant take</h4> <p>First, <a href="https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainssuperconductivity#:\~:text=Superconductivity%20is%20the%20property%20of,transition%20to%20the%20superconducting%20state." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">superconductors</a>: These are materials that conduct direct-current electricity without energy loss—that is, resistance. Until not long ago, superconductors had to be cooled to extremely low temperatures in order to function.</p> <p>More recently, “high-temperature” superconductors have been put to use, but the term is relative; even these superconductors require cooling that makes them difficult and expensive to apply in the field. (Commonwealth Edison <a href="https://digitally.cognizant.com/ais-energy-use-isnt-sustainable-enter-tinyml-wf1584550" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">experimented</a> with high-temperature superconducting transmission lines in Chicago, but even though they carried 200 times the current of conventional lines, maintenance costs rendered them impractical.)</p> <p>These realities clarify the potential of room-temperature superconductor capabilities: You get the benefits without most of the drawbacks.</p> <p>And the benefits are indeed stunning. Room-temperature superconductivity could boost power grid efficiency, speed both wired and wireless communication, make MRIs more affordable, enable real-world magnetic-levitation trains … the applications are endless.</p> <p>However, the science community’s misgivings about the University of Rochester’s announcement are serious, and bear watching. Superconductivity research is well established and ongoing; leaders should keep an eye on developments to see if grand claims can be verified.</p>