Scientific American: News In Brief: Study Finds High-Temperature Superconductors Behaving Strangely: January 24, 2002 Room temperature superconductors—materials that conduct electricity perfectly— continue to elude scientists. For now, the closest things available are high-critical temperature (Tc) superconductors. Unlike superconducting metal alloys, which must remain within a few degrees of absolute zero in order to display their resistance-free electron flow, high-Tc superconductors can operate at temperatures around 77 degrees Kelvin. But more than just the operating temperature distinguishes these two types of superconductors. According to a report published today in the journal Nature, the electrons in high-Tc superconductors actually behave differently from those in the conventional variety