4 ms·

The changes would be more dramatic than the discovery of fire, but would occur gradually.

• inglor_cz 3y ago
  The changes introduced by discovery of fire were very gradual. No Internet, no written language at all: any innovation back then could only spread as quickly as humans walked, and would temporarily stop at every significant geographic barrier such as sea. Compared to the discovery of fire, the changes from room temperature superconductors would be a flash fire.
  • zamalek 3y ago
    I totally missed the impact of the internet, you are absolutely correct. Something else that I just noticed buried in the paper is that it can be readily deposited onto a substrate (search for UNIVAC in the paper, page 4). That's an incredibly big deal.
    • louthy 3y ago
      For the idiots in the room (me), could you explain why that’s a big deal? Does that make the material more robust and therefore usable in harsher environments?
      • zamalek 3y ago
        We can deposit it on chips, there is lots of copper (relatively speaking) in a chip so this could improve efficiency. Of course the semiconductor (silicon) is intentionally resistive, so waste+heat wouldn't go away entirely.
        • louthy 3y ago
          Thank you!