Are Room Temperature Superconductors IMPOSSIBLE?

Are Room Temperature Superconductors IMPOSSIBLE?

From PBS Space Time by PBS

April 27, 2026 · 20 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential of achieving superconductivity at room temperature and its implications.

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Superconductive materials seem miraculous. Their resistanceless flow of electricity has been exploited in some powerful ways—from super-strong magnets used in MRIs, particle accelerators and fusion plants. And then there’s, their bizarre ability to levitate in magnetic fields. But the broader use of superconductors is limited because they need to be cooled to extremely low temperatures to work. But what if we could produce superconductivity at room temperature? It would change the world. Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers…

People in this episode

Host: Matt O'Dowd

Topics covered

  • superconductors
  • room temperature
  • electricity
  • magnetic fields
  • technology

Keywords

  • superconductivity
  • room temperature
  • electricity flow
  • magnetic levitation
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PBS, Kornhaber Brown

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