This whole #LK99 room temperature superconductor thing is pretty fascinating. Even the cautious scientists are like "probably not real but if it is it'll be world changing" which is.. not something you see every day.

If there's anything that makes me (as an extreme lay person) think it might be real it's that the people behind it are literally fighting over who gets credit, including dueling preprint papers and everything.

If it was a scam or they didn't really believe they had something, you'd kind of expect the opposite? If they're wrong they're fucked. Unlike billionaires (or even millionaires), scientists who tank their reputations really can lose their shirts.

Definitely wish more of the conversations about this were happening in places I can follow from the fediverse though.