Frosty reception to new superconductor thaws

One of Nature's most profound secrets is superconductivity. The sudden loss of all resistance to electric current never fails to startle and inspire novice researchers. Once the domain of a relatively small research community, this remarkable phenomenon became widely accessible with the discovery of high-temperature cuprate superconductors. Now a team of researchers in Israel has uncovered evidence for the first non-cuprate material that superconducts above liquid-nitrogen temperatures (Y Levi et al. 2000 Europhys. Lett. 51 564). In this article the author describes how progress in superconductivity over the last 12 years has led to the new achievement. (U.K.)