The Nation : Gain in Supercold Power

Physicists at the University of Houston and the University of Alabama have achieved a breakthrough in superconductivity research that points to dramatically more efficient and cheaper electrical power, the National Science Foundation announced in Washington. Researchers reached superconductivity--the ability to transport electrical current with no resistance--at 283 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, almost 100 degrees warmer than the mark set less than two months ago. Besides cheaper power, the development could lead to more powerful electromagnets to run levitated trains, new generations of atom smashers, improved magnetic resonance-imaging systems for medicine and a revolution in digital electronics leading to faster computers and better communications systems.