Several teams have been racing to develop metallic hydrogen, which is highly prized because of its potential as a superconductor, a material that is extremely efficient at conducting electricity.

“This is the holy grail of high-pressure physics,” Harvard physicist Isaac Silvera, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement. “It’s the first-ever sample of metallic hydrogen on Earth, so when you’re looking at it, you’re looking at something that’s never existed before.”

Source: U.S. scientists create metallic hydrogen, a possible superconductor, ending quest | Reuters