28 November

In the 1980s my honours research was on superconductivity (materials that show no electrical resistance). It was an exciting time, they’d just discovered superconductors that could work at liquid nitrogen temperatures, before that you needed liquid helium, which is very cold and very expensive. And now this year they finally found a room temperature one, though only at extremely high pressures. These materials have dropped from the public spotlight a bit, probably due to slow progress. They need a conceptual leap I think, more than just experimentation.