Hot booze turns material into a superconductor

Physorg ^ | January 11, 2011 | Lin Edwards

[epithermal]

(PhysOrg.com) -- A Japanese scientist who "likes alcohol very much" has discovered that soaking samples of material in hot party drinks for 24 hours turns them into superconductors at ambient temperature.

The scientist, Dr. Yoshihiko Takano of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Tsukuba, Japan, made the discovery after a party, soaking samples of a potential superconductor in hot alcoholic drinks before testing them next day for superconductivity. The commercial alcoholic beverages, especially wine, were much more effective than either water or pure alcohol.

[epithermal]

It isn't clear from the article that the material is superconductive at ambient temperature, so I'm skeptical.

[2banana]

The kamikaze works well - but only one time!

[Pearls Before Swine]

ping... did you see this one?

[ZX12R]

turns them into superconductors at ambient temperature.

That's a misprint. I'd bet my fortune on it.

[muawiyah]

Hmmm ~ Doughnuts!!!!

Or, maybe immortality is conferred with a concoction derived from dandelions and mud.

Eventually these guys will figure out that under the right conditions red ochre and mead can be blended to produce superconductors that power bio-supercomputers we'd previously overlooked somewhere.

[GBA]

Hot booze works on a lot of people that way.

[ZX12R]

Or, maybe immortality is conferred with a concoction derived from dandelions and mud.

Hmmm...wine or immortality. That's a tough choice for dandelion usage.

[Mr. Jazzy]

This man is now being looked upon as the real father of super conductivity:



Seen here with his other associates at the Italian Swiss Colony research facilities.

[RJS1950]

It is plausible and no big suprise. It has long been known that combinations of some alcohols, salts, acids etc can have a catalytic effect on other materials and processes. It’s like saying that long term heating of vegetables in lightly salted water can miraculously result in vegetable soup.

[Lurker]

I know if you add alcohol to me I develop a strange attraction to members of the opposite sex.

[magslinger]

The scientist, Dr. Yoshihiko Takano of the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Tsukuba, Japan, made the discovery after a party, soaking samples of a potential superconductor in hot alcoholic drinks before testing them next day for superconductivity. The commercial alcoholic beverages, especially wine, were much more effective than either water or pure alcohol.

I'm glad they found a good use for warm saki. Drinking the stuff wasn't it.

[garbanzo]

Not really plausible. Superconductivity has a specific kind of meaning and while immersing something in liquid does improve its conductivity because of factors like ionic conduction, it seems implausible that the kind of superconducting state found in known materials using known processes is generated by this method. More detailed research should bear out what’s happening.

[garbanzo]

This is why I should read the article (and comments) first. The superconducting transition temperature was 7.8K, nowhere near room temperature. The headline is really bad.

[RightOnTheBorder]

To me room temperature superconductivity is a lot like cold fusion; I’ll beleive it when I see it work. Until then it is just another professor looking for grant money.

[Larry Lucido]

Good thing he doesn’t work at a nuclear plant. I bet the plutonium would help heat up party drinks nicely!

[Ronin]

Please don’t tell us what you are attracted to when you are sober.

[Ronin]

Hey! That booze he is using in the experiments is expensive!

Probably needs thorough tasting, I mean TESTING, too!

[epithermal]

A better explanation here: http://www.dailytech.com/Various+Alcohols+Shown+To+Make+Various+Improvements+on+Specific+Superconductor/article20628.htm

[sionnsar]

Oh man, now you took all the fun out of it. *\;^) Thanks!

[SunkenCiv]

I figured it had to do with the researcher having swilled too much hot booze before conducting his research.