Despite initial excitement, the scientific community is growing more skeptical about the discovery of a room temperature superconductor: The alleged discovery of a superconductor that works at ambient temperature and pressure levels is drawing scrutiny from the scientific community, with a handful of researchers attempting to replicate the results of the original experiment from South Korean researchers. New studies from researchers in China, India, and Taiwan have indicated that the material, LK-99, is not a superconductor, “not even at room temperatures (or at very low temperatures),” University of Maryland’s Condensed Matter Theory Center said. “It is a very highly resistive poor quality material,” the center said in a tweet.
It might be a good superconductor, but it hasn’t been proven to be a “perfect” superconductor: The initial findings, which were published in preprints — meaning they have not undergone peer review — reportedly have some inconsistencies in the data, and are missing an important test of heat anomaly to prove LK-99 is a superconductor, according to the Verge. “Superconductors should have zero electrical resistance, but the preprints show ‘zero’ on a scale that makes it difficult to tell whether LK-99 is truly a perfect superconductor or just a very good conductor,” the Verge says.
Weight loss meds show promise in reducing heart disease risk: Danish-based Novo Nordisk’s weight loss drug, Wegovy, can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death from heart disease as a result of excess weight, according to the results of a recent study the company announced (pdf) yesterday. The five-year study involved 17.6k adults with excess body weight and a history of heart disease who were at least 45 or older with no prior history of diabetes.
Results: 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death than a placebo. The results, which have not yet been peer reviewed, showed that Wegovy was associated with a substantial reduction in diseases that typically affect overweight individuals. The company plans to submit regulatory approval to add the evidence of a heart benefit to Wegovy’s prescribing label. It also plans to present full results at a scientific conference later this year, the company said.
Markets reacted positively to the results , with Novo Nordisk shares jumping more than 17% on Monday after the company announcement, according to Reuters. The company’s stock price has now surged almost 165% over the past two years — making it the second-most valuable listed company in Europe after Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH), according to Bloomberg.