After a few intense weeks of speculation and drama, more and more labs have been able to recreate LK-99, also known as modified lead-apatite. The material was touted as the first-ever room-temperature ambient pressure superconductor, a claim that was met with healthy skepticism and excitement. After all, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
Indeed, this kind of reaction has driven me to unsubscribe from the specifically LK-99-related subreddits and forums that have cropped up. “These guys tried reproing it, and they failed, so that’s it, game over. We can forget all about this stuff now.” Or even worse, “this one guy made a deliberately fraudulent video, so all of the news about LK-99 can be dismissed as fake now.”
This is exactly the inverse of what skeptics keep cautioning against. There are plenty of ways to fail to make superconductors, finding a new one of those doesn’t tell us much. All it takes is for one lab to figure out a reliable way to make them and all the failures in the world can’t overcome that.
Patience.