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April 13, 2004
DOE Warms To Cold Fusion
From Physics Today.
Whether outraged or supportive about DOE's planned reevaluation of cold fusion, most scientists remain deeply skeptical that it's real.
The cold fusion claims made in 1989 by B. Stanley Pons and Martin Fleischmann didn't hold up. But they did spawn a small and devoted coterie of researchers who continue to investigate the alleged effect. Cold fusion die-hards say their data from the intervening 15 years merit a reevaluation-- and a place at the table with mainstream science. Now they have the ear of the US Department of Energy.
For the record, I don't not believe Fleischmann and Pons were frauds. I believe they actually did achieve some kind of extra energy in their experiments. But I also believe they did some sloppy science by not clearly documenting their research for easy repetition. Since then hundreds of scientists around the world have been able to duplicate the result of excess energy. The most recent and dramatic example was using ultrasonic vibrations to squeeze tiny gas bubbles in the liquid so quickly and violently that temperatures reached millions of degrees and some of the hydrogen atoms in the solvent molecules fused, producing a flash of light and energy.
I also find it interesting that for years, Arthur C. Clarke, one of the most level-headed SF authors who ever lived, and who has a couple of science degrees, believes Cold Fusion is real and will one day be practical.