Physics World (Oct. 9) -- Superconductivity has captured the imaginations of scientists and the public for a very long time. In 1957, three theorists at the U. of I. – John Bardeen, Leon Cooper and Robert Schrieffer – described how an electron can deform the atomic lattice through which it moves, thereby pairing with a neighboring electron. Being paired allows all the electrons in a superconductor to move as a single cohort, known as a condensate, prevailing over thermal fluctuations with ease.