Room-Temperature Superconductor LK-99

The 2023 LK-99 preprint promised a room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor, sparking viral excitement and stock market surges. Within weeks, dozens of replication attempts—including a meticulous study from the Max Planck Institute—found zero evidence of superconductivity, instead identifying the material as an impure semiconductor with a resistivity drop of just 0.1% at 100 K. This collapse is far more decisive than the arsenic-based life claim (rank #3), which at least sparked a years-long scientific debate. LK-99's failure highlights how a single preprint, amplified by social media, can overshadow decades of rigorous superconductor research.