3 ms·

but what if you actually do have a room-temperature superconductor, but the entire community is dead set against considering even the possibility? we already h

but what if you actually do have a room-temperature superconductor, but the entire community is dead set against considering even the possibility? we already have plenty of evidence that even science people (flawed humans, like us all) cannot "do proper science" because they are swayed by irrational arguments such as distaste, shame, appeals to tradition, conformism etc. etc.

EliRivers 4y ago
but what if you actually do have a room-temperature superconductor, but the entire community is dead set against considering even the possibility? Well then you'll have no trouble demonstrating it and you will receive the accolades, the fame and the fortune that creating the first room-temperature superconductor will bring you.
- carbocation 4y ago
  Exactly. Even just in medicine: you’ll sell an MRI that is far cheaper than anyone else on the market, with no need for a quenching system, and with bigger margins. Etc.
rsynnott 4y ago
> but what if you actually do have a room-temperature superconductor, but the entire community is dead set against considering even the possibility? That's not the case, though. If you say "I've got a room temperature semiconductor" (or a reactionless drive, or an antigravity machine, or whatever) and tell people how you did it, people will _absolutely_ try to reproduce that. Not just academic institutions, either; the US Navy has a bit of a history of trying to reproduce obvious nonsense, in particular.
perardi 4y ago
Who is this community that’s dead-set against this? There’s lots and lots of academic research. And a fair bit of Department of Energy money flowing into those labs. There’s lots of interest. There’s lots of papers. And the great thing about those who “do proper science” in materials research: you can do actual science by repeating and verifying the experiments.
ttpphd 4y ago
This sounds like a reflexive take without any thought about what science actually is.

EliRivers 4y ago

but what if you actually do have a room-temperature superconductor, but the entire community is dead set against considering even the possibility? Well then you'll have no trouble demonstrating it and you will receive the accolades, the fame and the fortune that creating the first room-temperature superconductor will bring you.

carbocation 4y ago
Exactly. Even just in medicine: you’ll sell an MRI that is far cheaper than anyone else on the market, with no need for a quenching system, and with bigger margins. Etc.

rsynnott 4y ago

> but what if you actually do have a room-temperature superconductor, but the entire community is dead set against considering even the possibility? That's not the case, though. If you say "I've got a room temperature semiconductor" (or a reactionless drive, or an antigravity machine, or whatever) and tell people how you did it, people will _absolutely_ try to reproduce that. Not just academic institutions, either; the US Navy has a bit of a history of trying to reproduce obvious nonsense, in particular.

perardi 4y ago

Who is this community that’s dead-set against this? There’s lots and lots of academic research. And a fair bit of Department of Energy money flowing into those labs. There’s lots of interest. There’s lots of papers. And the great thing about those who “do proper science” in materials research: you can do actual science by repeating and verifying the experiments.

ttpphd 4y ago

This sounds like a reflexive take without any thought about what science actually is.