💡 A new superconductor?

Happy Thursday! It’s August 3 — people are talking about a potential breakthrough in superconductors, the Barbie breakups trend, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly.

💡 In the news: A new superconductor?

Chinese scientists made a major breakthrough in superconductors…maybe. Despite the excitement, many are skeptical that the new material and data are legit.

💡 Chinese scientists say they’ve confirmed that a compound called LK-99 is a superconductor (a material that conducts electricity with minimal energy loss). Tom’s Hardware says if this is legit, it's an incredible scientific breakthrough.

💡 But CNET says it's a big "if" — scientists love to say they've found the next superconductor, but the claims rarely pan out. Only time will tell if this is legit.

💡 Wired is pessimistic too. The researchers aren't well known in the field, and they've published inconsistent data on LK-99 before. Don't get your hopes up!

💡 The NY Post is excited nonetheless. The data may be a little fishy, but the possibilities are tantalizing. The technology could be applied to make a super-fast train, one that could travel from NYC to LA in 20 minutes!

👚 Cultural trend: Barbie breakups

Some women are breaking up with their boyfriends for not being into the Barbie movie. Is that fair, or a little ridiculous?

👚 HuffPo: The Barbie movie triggered a wave of breakups after men reacted poorly to the film. It’s called the "Barbie test", to see if boyfriends measure up.

👚 Bored Panda breaks down a viral Reddit thread in which a woman breaks up with her boyfriend after his bigoted comments about the movie. Barbie was the wakeup call she needed.

👚 For others, Barbie made their relationships stronger. This TikToker says that Barbie proved all of the ways that her boyfriend is the best. Don't settle, ladies!

👚 But Glamour rolled their eyes — isn’t it a bit much to hinge your relationship on a movie? It's really not that deep.

Quick hits from today & yesterday

⚫ A Pittsburgh jury condemned 2018 synagogue mass shooter Robert Bowers to death after 10 hours of deliberation. (NYT)

⚔️ The U.S. State Department partially pulled out embassy officials stationed in Niger, amid fears of a successful coup. (WaPo)

🍁 Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie have agreed to separate after 18 years of marriage. (CNN)

🏛️ As of this week, Minnesotans are now able to possess and grow their own marijuana legally for recreational purposes. (CBS News)

That’s it for today! Reply at [email protected] with your takes, topic suggestions, or anything at all. Here at Shades we’re trying something new – quick summaries from different points of view. We’d love to hear what you think.