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Europium's Superconductivity Demonstrated

gabrlknght writes "An old element just learned a new trick under pressure. When cooled and squeezed very hard, the soft metallic element europium turns into a superconductor, allowing electrons to flow unfettered by resistance, a study appearing May 13 in Physical Review Letters shows. The results make europium the 53rd of the 92 naturally occurring elements to possess superconductivity, which, if harnessed, could make for more efficient energy transfer."

22 of 103 comments (clear)

  1. When squeezed, europium gives up resistance? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    What, is it French?

  2. 80 GPa by quenda · · Score: 4, Funny

    80 giga-pascals of pressure? Could be useful for deep-sea power transmission. You only need to go 8000km deep to get that pressure naturally.

    1. Re:80 GPa by Deadstick · · Score: 5, Funny

      That would be about 1620km past the center of the earth...

      rj

    2. Re:80 GPa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Even better. If you went at it from the other side you'd only have to go down 6380km, much easier.

    3. Re:80 GPa by schon · · Score: 2, Funny

      Maybe OP is talking about after we've colonized Jupiter? :)

    4. Re:80 GPa by physicsphairy · · Score: 3, Funny

      What's a few orders of magnitude between friends?

    5. Re:80 GPa by corbettw · · Score: 2, Funny

      You sound like a Congressman discussing the budget.

      --
      God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  3. Element Abuse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "An old element just learned a new trick under pressure"

    This is an example of Element abuse! An OLD element, FORCED to learn a new trick, UNDER PRESSURE no doubt!

    Stop the madness, leave the poor elements alone, especially the old ones.

    1. Re:Element Abuse by advocate_one · · Score: 2, Funny

      if they become superconducting when under pressure... just wait till they start waterboarding them...

      --
      Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
  4. Extreme Hazard by thethibs · · Score: 3, Funny

    We must make sure that no one ever mixes europium with administerium. An EU "unfettered by resistance" could set civilization back a thousand years.

    --
    I'm a Programmer. That's one level above Software Engineer and one level below Engineer.
  5. Re:happened with other SCs as well by Inverted+Intellect · · Score: 4, Funny

    Your temperature scale is clearly incorrect.

    As it regards cold, it goes from Chilly, to Cold, to Freezing, eventually reaching Ridiculously Cold, Unbelievably Cold and Impossibly Cold.

    oh wait, are you using the imperial system of verbal measurement? Never mind.

  6. All these elements by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    All these elements are yours except Europium. Attempt no superconducting there.

  7. Re:Fuzzy math... by swb · · Score: 4, Funny

    I figure the real benefit from research isn't the discoveries, its the economic benefit of decent, well-paying jobs in a pleasant park-like campus.

  8. I always knew it by keeboo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Take that, Americium!

  9. Re:happened with other SCs as well by corbettw · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wake me when someone reaches Plaid Cold.

    --
    God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  10. Re:happened with other SCs as well by sjames · · Score: 2, Funny

    You forgot Brrrrrrrr, the temperature at which animated characters freeze instantly. Sometimes they shatter or break into ice cubes of course.

  11. Re:happened with other SCs as well by Dr+Caleb · · Score: 4, Funny

    > As it regards cold, it goes from Chilly, to Cold, to Freezing, eventually reaching Ridiculously Cold, Unbelievably Cold and Impossibly Cold.

    I'm Canadian you insensitive clod. I'd still be in shorts and a t-shirt.

    --
    "History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme." Mark Twain
  12. Re:happened with other SCs as well by Lucractius · · Score: 3, Funny

    In certain circles where greater accuracy is required its common to use a finer precision in the jump from Freezing to Ridiculously Cold.

    This is done by having Bloody Freezing and F*****ing Freezing as additional points on the scale.

    --
    XML - A clever joke would be here if /. didn't mangle tag brackets.
  13. Re:happened with other SCs as well by Hucko · · Score: 4, Funny

    oh noooo. That was measured with lasers!

    --
    Semi-automatic amateur armchair Australian philosopher; conjecture ready at any moment...
  14. Re:happened with other SCs as well by x2A · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please no jokes about sticking a thermometer up Uranus.

    --
    The revolution will not be televised... but it will have a page on Wikipedia
  15. Re:Fuzzy math... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    800,000 BAR (~14.5 PSI) = 11,600,000 PSI.

    There shouldn't be any problem finding a compressor capable of such pressures used on ebay.

  16. Re:happened with other SCs as well by selven · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ludicrous Cold... GO!