SCIE20001 Thinking Scienti�ically
Semester 2, 2023
Take-Home Exam
Due Date: Sunday 5th November 2023, 11.59 pm
Instructions
A scienti�ic publication earlier this year reported on a new superconductor. Some controversy
has accompanied the discovery and it has played out in both the scienti�ic literature and the in
popular media recently.
The �ive media articles at the links below have appeared during 2023. Downloadable (pdf)
versions of the articles are available in the description part of this assessment on the LMS.
• Superconductor research surges forward despite controversy over stunning claims (Science
News, 5 September 2023)
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/superconductor-research-controversy-electricity-
temperature
• Why a blockbuster superconductivity claim met a wall of scepticism (Nature, 6 September
2023)
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-02733-z
• Another retraction looms for embattled physicist behind blockbuster superconductivity claims (Science, 27 September 2023)
https://www.science.org/content/article/another-retraction-looms-embattled-physicist-
behind-blockbuster-superconductivity
• 11 Scientists found a room-temperature superconductor. Now 8 of them want a retraction.
The New York Times, 29 September 2023
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/29/science/superconductor-retraction-ranga-dias-
rochester.html
• Superconductivity ‘damaged’ as researchers look to move on from retractions (Physics
World, 20 October 2023)
https://physicsworld.com/a/superconductivity-damaged-as-researchers-look-to-move-on-
from-retractions/
See also:
• Explainer: what is peer review (The Conversation; 19 June2014)
https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-peer-review-27797
Read the articles and answer the following questions. Please adhere to the word limits.
1. Describe this discovery and explain its signi�icance. Why is the science
contentious? (Maximum 500 words)
2. Describe the events that have occurred since the publication in Nature earlier this
year. Discuss the role of the scrutiny and self-correction processes in science in
this controversy (maximum 500 words).
You are free to read more widely on the matter, although it is not required; you do not need to
read the original scienti�ic paper(s). The media articles themselves have some links to useful
information.
Submit your completed paper to the SCIE20001 Canvas site via the Assignment link. It must be
uploaded before the deadline; at which time the upload link will close.