He and fellow Cornell researchers David Lee and Douglas Osheroff were awarded the Nobel for 1996 for their 1971 work on low-temperature physics involving the isotope helium-3, which has contributed to research ranging from the properties of microscopic matter to astrophysics.

WSJ: Cornell physicist and Nobel winner Richardson dies

Temperature-sensing paints work similarly they use luminescent molecules that light up according to how much they are vibrating, glowing less (and shaking more) when they are hotter and glowing more (and shaking less) when they are cooler.

ECONOMIST: Pressure paints

Exactly how such high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) work remains a mystery, but that has not stopped engineers from trying to exploit them.

ECONOMIST: Inside story

Recently, work has shown that if you analyse long-term global temperature rise for windy days and calm days separately, there is no difference.

BBC: NEWS | Special Reports | 629 | 629 | Climate scepticism: The top 10

In December, a group led by Stephen Chou at the University of Minnesota announced that it had got a single-electron transistor to work albeit unreliably at room temperature.

ECONOMIST: The transistor��s heir