Why news of a superconductor breakthrough is probably wrong

In this week’s rundown of New Scientist’s top science and technology stories, we’re looking at the pitfalls of plastic grass, Elon Musk’s latest Twitter escapades and how we can learn to live with artificial intelligence. But first, the big news this week – did the world just change?

Room-temperature superconductor 'breakthrough' met with scepticism

My Twitter timeline (or should that be Xline? More on this in a moment) lit up this week with exciting news of a room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor. If true, this would be a huge deal, with the potential to revolutionise the way we use electronics and massively increase energy efficiency. Sadly, my colleague Karmela Padavic-Callaghan has spoken to a number of researchers about the claim and it doesn’t look particularly promising.

Why is Twitter becoming X and should you move to Threads or Bluesky?

Even if you don’t stray beyond the confines of LinkedIn, you have almost certainly heard about Elon Musk’s efforts to rebrand Twitter as X, a letter he seems to have an unusual fascination with. We’ve looked at why he is doing this, whether it will succeed and where to go if you prefer your social media sites a little less erratic. 

Huge amounts of plastic from artificial grass end up in the sea

We already know that artificial grass is bad for the environment in a number of ways, from the fossil fuels used to create it to its lack of habitat for insects, but now there is another issue – loads of it is ending up in the sea.

More from New Scientist

• I had no idea that some ants produce honey, and now it seems this could help treat infections.
• In the magazine this week, we have a special issue on living with artificial intelligence, from what it means for jobs and the economy to how AI can make your life easier.
• There are just two places left on our upcoming tour of Neanderthal caves in France – sign up now.

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Jacob Aron, News Editor